SOS 


FACTS   AMD   OBSERVATIONS 


CONCERNING   THE 


ORGANIZATION  AND  STATE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 


THREE  SYNODS  OF  WESTERN  NEW-YORK, 


AMD    THE 


SYNOD  OF  AVESTERN   RESERVE. 


BY   JAMES ''WOOD. 


SARATOGA  SPRINGS  : 

PRINTED    BY    G.    M.    DAVISON. 


1837. 


NOTICE. 


If  I  have  committed  any  material  error  in  the  statistics  of  the  several  Pres- 
byteries, those  who  may  be  acquainted  with  the  facts,  are  requested  to  com- 
municate to  the  public  the  necessary  corrections.  It  will  not  be  considered 
strange  that  I  have  fallen  into  some  mistakes  by  those  who  shall  be  made 
acquainted  with  the  following  fact.  I  asked  the  stated  clerk  of  the  Synod  of 
Western  Reserve  how  many  Congregational  and  how  many  Presbyterian 
churches  there  are  in  the  Presbytery  of  Huron.  He  wrote  on  a  slip  of  paper 
14  Congregational  and  10  Presbyterian.  Finding  by  the  last  report  of  that 
Presbytery  to  the  General  Assembly  that  they  have  but  23  churches,  I  put 
it  down  13  Congregational  and  10  Presbyterian.  But  since  the  pamphlet 
was  ready  for  the  press,  that  Presbytery  have  published  a  statement  in  which 
they  say  they  have  25  churches,  15  of  which  are  Presbyterian  and  10  Con- 
gregational. Have  they  received  2  churches  since  the  meeting  of  the  last 
Assembly  ?  Have  several  of  the  Congregational  churches  elected  ruhng 
elders  during  the  past  summer  ?  or  was  the  slated  clerk  of  that  Synod  mis- 
taken ?  I  shall  of  course  have  it  printed  according  to  the  statement  of  the 
Presbytery — but  I  mention  it  to  shew  how  liable  we  arc  to  err ;  and  that  if 
I  have  committed  an  error  in  any  instance,  (which  is  quite  possible,)  it  has 
been  owing  to  the  misstatements  of  those  upon  whom  I  have  relied  for 
information. 


FACTS  AND  OBSERVATIONS. 


While  on  a  visit  in  August  last  to  tlie  western  part  of 
the  state  of  New- York,  I  embraced  the  opportunity  of  ob- 
taining facts  concerning  the  organization  and  state  of  the 
churches ;  and  beheving  them  to  be  of  special  interest  at 
the  present  time,  I  shall  communicate  them  to  the  public. 
But  in  quite  a  number  of  instances  my  information  has  been 
so  general,  as  to  be  less  satisfactory  than  I  could  desire, 
especially  in  regard  to  the  present  organization  of  many  of 
the  churches,  concerning  which  (though  I  have  made  in- 
quiries of  different  persons  and  corresponded  with  others) 
I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  definite  information.  If, 
therefore,  I  shall  make  any  statements  which  are  not  en- 
tirely accurate,  those  who  may  be  acquainted  with  the  facts, 
will  do  me  and  the  church  a  favor  by  communicating  the 
necessary  corrections ;  and  in  those  cases,  where  I  shall  be 
obliged,  from  the  want  of  information,  to  be  very  general, 
I  trust  that  those  who  are  able  will  not  be  backward  in 
supplying  the  deficiency.  I  cordially  respond  to  the  remark 
of  Dr.  Penny,  at  the  Auburn  Convention,  that  all  which 
a  full  and  candid  statement  of  facts  can  do  for  those  Synods, 
I  wish  to  have  done  ;  and  no  more. 

We  shall  begin  with  the 

Synod   of   Utica. 

This  Synod  was  constituted  in  1829,  by  a  division  of  the 
Synod  of  Albany,  and  consists  of  5  Presbyteries,  viz.  Onei- 
da, Watertown,  Otsego,  St.  Lawrence  and  Oswego.  To 
prevent  confusion,  it  must  be  remembered  that  Watertown 
and  St.  Lawrence  do  not  bear  the  names  by  which  they 
were  first  organized.     The  former  was  then  called  St.  Law- 


rence  and  the  latter  Ogdensburg.  St.  Lawrence  receiv- 
ed the  name  of  Watertown  in  1828,  and  not  long  after  Og- 
densburg took  the  name  of  St.  Lawrence. 

The  Presbytery  of  Oneida  was  constituted  by  an  act  of 
the  General  Assembly  in  1802,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Al- 
bany, and  consisted  of  six  ministers.  No  churches  are 
named  ;  but  from  an  examination  of  the  Statistical  Reports 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Albany  up  to  that  time,  it  will  appear 
that  there  were  five  or  six  embraced  in  the  territory  assigned 
to  the  new  Presbytery.  In  1808,  they  reported  17  churches, 
eight  of  which  are  now  and  probably  were  then  Presbyterian. 
Concerning  the  remainder,  I  am  not  informed.  In  1805, 
they  reported  20  churches,  2  of  which  are  known  to  have  been 
Congregational ;  and  of  course  must  have  been  received  on 
the  plan  of  1801.  The  next  year  they  reported  but  8.  The 
others  had  been  detached  from  the  Presbytery  to  form  the 
Presbytery  of  Geneva,  which  was  constituted  that  year. 
One  of  the  8  is  named  as  a  Congregational  church.  From 
this  time  there  was  a  gradual  increase  till  1816,  when  the 
Presbytery  was  again  divided  and  a  new  Presbytery  consti- 
tuted by  the  name  of  St.  Lawrence,  [now  Watertown.] 
But  their  loss  from  this  source  was  much  more  than  made 
up  by  the  reception  in  1819,  of  12  ministers  and  9  congre- 
gations. All  the  ministers  except  one  were  from  Congre- 
gational Associations ;  and  all  the  churches,  it  is  believed, 
were  Congregational.  This  large  accession  was  owing  to 
the  dissolution  of  the  Oneida  Association,  which,  according  to 
the  statement  of  a  person  who  was  then  a  member  of  one  of 
their  churches,  was  an  interesting  and  flourishing  body ;  but 
as  the  plan  of  union  opened  the  door  for  their  admission  into 
the  Presbyterian  church,  and  as  the  ministers  were  desirous 
of  forming  such  a  connection,  the  people  were  persuaded  to 
yield.  Their  Association  was  accordingly  dissolved,  and 
most  of  the  ministers  and  churches  joined  the  Presbytery — 
constituting,  after  their  reception,  about  one  third  of  the 
whole  body. 

The  same  year  (1819)  the  Presbytery  was  divided  again, 
and  a  new  one  organized  by  the  name  of  Otsego.     But  dur- 


5 

ing  the  three  following  years,  their  number  was  once  more 
repaired  by  the  reception  of  nine  churches,  nearly  all  of 
which,  we  have  good  reason  to  believe,  were  Congregation- 
al. This  increased  the  proportion  of  Congregationalists 
from  one  third  to  about  one  half — making  due  allowance 
for  the  few  who,  upon  joining  the  Presbytery,  appointed 
ruling  elders.  There  was  now  (1822)  another  division  of 
the  Presbytery,  and  a  new  one  constituted  by  the  name  of 
Oswego.  This  diminished  the  proportion  of  Congregation- 
al churches  to  nearly  the  same  as  it  was  in  1819,  which 
has  been  retained  without  much  variation  ever  since.  There 
are  now  40  churches,  12  or  14  of  which  are  Congregation- 
al. This  I  state  on  the  authority  of  one  of  their  members, 
corroborated  by  several  others  who  are  acquainted  with 
the  churches  in  their  bounds. 

The  Presbytery  of  Watertown  w^as  constituted  (under 
the  name  of  St.  Lawrence)  in  1816 — consisting  of  5  minis- 
ters and  2  congregations,  viz.  Ogdensburg  and  Martins- 
burg.  In  1819,  they  reported  to  the  General  Assembly  4 
Presb^'terian  churches  and  7  Congregational ;  or  if  2  of  the 
latter,  which  are  reported  under  one  pastoral  charge,  were 
distinct  churches,  as  was  the  case  a  few  yers  afterwards, 
then  4  Presbyterian  and  8  Congregational.  The  proportion 
of  Congregationalists  at  the  present  time  is  probably  less ; 
but  the  information  w^hich  I  have  received  on  this  point  is 
so  general,  that  I  cannot  speak  with  precision.* 

The  Otsego  Presbytery  was  organized  in  1819,  and  was 
composed  of  seven  ministers  and  5  congregations,  viz.  Cher- 
ry Valley,  Cooperstown,  Springfield,  Milford  and  Eaton. 
Three  of  them,  we  believe,  w^ere  Presbyterian,  and  two 


*Iii  a  communication,  published  in.  several  of  the  papers  during  the  past 
summer,  (supposed  to  have  been  written  by  a  member  of  that  Presbytery,) 
it  is  stated  that  there  are  2  or  3  Congregational  churches  under  the  care  of 
that  Presbytery  ;  but  as  the  person  to  whom  1  wrote,  has  not  given  me  the 
desired  information,  in  my  summary  of  the  Presbyteries,  I  shall  leave  it 
blank. 


6 

Congregational.  According  to  a  statement  made  at  the 
Auburn  Convention,  they  are  now  about  equally  divided.* 

The  Presbytery  of  St.  Lawrence  (under  the  name  of  Og- 
densburg)  was  constituted  by  a  division  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Champlain  in  1821,  consisting  of  six  ministers  and  the 
congregations  in  a  certain  district ;  but  how  many  there 
were,  it  is  not  stated.  The  next  year  they  reported  1 1 
congregations,  a  majority  of  which,  we  believe,  were  Con- 
gregational. The  ground  for  this  opinion  is  the  following : 
The  Presbytery  of  Champlain,  from  which  it  was  formed, 
was  constituted  in  1813,  but  on  account  of  the  war  they  did 
not  meet ;  and  the  next  year,  a  new  order  was  obtained 
from  the  Synod.  Their  first  report  in  1815  mentions  only 
one  congregation.  That  section  of  the  state  was  wholly 
missionary  ground.  Many  of  the  churches  were  organized 
by  an  excellent  and  laborious  Congregational  missionary, 
whom  I  have  heard  relate  many  thrilling  incidents  concern- 
ing his  labors,  his  discom'agements  and  his  success.  Some 
of  t!ie  churches  which  he  formed  were,  perhaps,  Presbyte- 
rian ;  but  the  major  part  were,  undoubtedly,  Congregation- 
al. And  when  in  process  of  time  they  became  sufficiently 
numerous,  several  of  the  churches  were  detached  from  the 
Presbytery  and  a  new  one  was  organized,  which  is  now 
called  St.  Lawrence.  As  the  brother  to  whom  I  wrote  for 
information  concerning  this  Presbytery  has  not  answered 
my  letter,  I  do  not  know  of  what  materials  it  is  composed  at 
the  present  time. 

The  Oswego  Presbytery  was  organized  in  1823,  consist- 
ino-  of  5  ministers  and  the  congregations  in  the  north-western 
section  of  the  Presbytery  of  Oneida.  Their  number  is  not 
stated.  Their  first  report  was  in  1825,  when  they  consist- 
ed of  8  ministers  and  16  congregations — a  large  proportion 
of  which,  there  can  be  but  httle  doubt,  were  Congregation- 


*  In  the  resolutiong  lately  adopted  by  the  Baltimore  Presbytery  it  was 
stated,  that  at  the  Auburn  Convention  ono  of  the  members  declared  that 
there  are  in  this  Presbytery  17  Congregational  churches  and  8  Presbyterian. 
This  statement  was  made  not  concerning  Otsego  Presbytery,  but  OHWcgo. 


al.     According  to  a  statement  made  by  one  of  tlieir  niejn- 
bers  at  tlio  Auburn  Convention,  they  have  now  17  Con- 
gregational churches  and  8  Presbyterian. 
The  result  of  the  v/hole  will  be  as  follows : 

Oneida,  40  churches,     27  Presbyterian  and     13  Congregational. 

Watertown,     23  churches, 

Otsego,  16  churches,      8  Presbyterian  and      8  Congregational. 

St  Lawrence,  11  churches, 

Oswego,  25  churches,       8  Presbyterian  and     17  Congregational. 

Total,  as  far  as  known,  43  38 

The  preferences  of  the  people  in  very  many  cases,  and 
of  some  of  the  ministers,  are  strongly  in  favor  of  Congrega- 
tionalism. One  of  the  members  of  the  Auburn  Convention, 
from  the  Oswego  Presbytery,  is  known  to  be  so  decidedly 
a  Congregationalist  in  his  principles  and  feelings,  that  a  min- 
ister acquainted  with  his  views  expressed  surprise  that  he 
should  have  been  willing  to  be  a  delegate  to  that  body. 

About  a  year  ago,  at  a  meeting  in  which  7  of  the  churches 
belonging  to  that  presbytery  had  united  for  their  spiritual 
benefit,  (4  of  which  were  Congregational  and  3  Presbyteri- 
an,) he  introduced  a  proposal  that  they  should  leave  the 
Presbytery  and  join  a  Congregational  Association  ;  and 
another  minister  who  was  present  advocated  the  measure. 
It  was  accordingly  adopted,  and  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  Oneida  Association  and  propose  a 
union  with  them ;  or,  if  this  should  be  found  not  to  be  so  much 
for  their  advantage,  then  to  draft  a  plan  for  forming  a  sepa- 
rate Association  by  themselves ;  but  as  yet  nothing  farther 
has  been  done.  Had  the  proposition  been  carried  into  ef- 
fect agreeably  to  the  vote,  instead  of  there  being  8  Presby- 
terian churches  in  that  presbytery,  there  would  be  only  5. 
Probably  all  the  churches  in  the  presbytery  except  2,  would 
prefer  the  Congregational  mode  of  government,  and  be  at 
least  equally  well  satisfied  to  form  a  connection  with  a  Con- 
gregational Association. 

When  the  Oneida  Association  was  dissolved,  18  or  20 
years  ago,  some  of  the  churches,  upon  joining  the  Presbyte- 
ry of  Oneida,  appointed  ruling  elders  ;  but  as  soon  as  they 


8 

saw  how  the  system  worked,  they  became  dissatisfied,  and 
heart-burnings  and  distractions  have  existed  in  the  churches, 
more  or  less,  ever  since.  In  one  church,  some  of  the  members 
left  and  joined  the  Methodists ;  in  three  or  four  others,  they 
separated  and  formed  two  churches  ;  and  in  others  difficul- 
ties, more  or  less  serious,  have  disturbed  their  peace.  One 
church,  only  a  few  months  ago,  after  making  material  alter- 
ations m  their  Articles  of  Faith,  resolved  to  leave  the  Pres- 
bytery and  join  a  Congregational  Association ;  and  another, 
it  is  expected,  will  soon  follow  their  example,  except  that  they 
have  not  departed  (so  far  as  I  learned)  from  any  of  the  im- 
portant doctrines  of  the  gospel.  The  Presbytery  attempted 
to  discipline  the  former  church,  but  nothing  could  be  done 
because  it  is  Congregational,  We  hope  no  one  will  infer, 
from  any  thing  we  have  said  or  may  say  concerning  Con- 
gregationalism in  these  churches,  that  we  wish  to  bring  any 
charge  against  it,  or  impute  it  to  any  man  as  a  fault.  We 
wish  only  to  state  facts  as  they  exist,  with  the  view  of  shew- 
ing how  the  churches  are  organized,  and  what  have  been 
the  effects  of  the  plan  of  union  upon  their  peace  and  pros- 
perity. The  brother  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  much  of 
my  information  concerning  the  Oneida  Presbytery,  believes 
that  the  plan  of  union  has  been  one  cause  of  the  unsettled 
state  of  things  both  in  that  Presbytery  and  in  other  parts  of 
Western  New-York ;  and  that  the  peace  and  union  of  ma- 
ny of  the  churches  would  be  greatly  promoted  if  they  should 
become  Congregationalists  in  full. 

We  will  now  state  a  few  things  in  relation  to  doctrines 
and  measures.  If  we  were  to  speak  only  in  general  terms, 
we  might  introduce  a  few  sentences  concerning  each  of  the 
Presbyteries,  which  would  convey  to  the  mind  of  the  reader 
some  idea  of  the  views  and  feelings  that  prevail  among  them. 
But  as  we  do  not  wish  to  incur  the  charge  of  circulating 
vague  reports,  which  on  investigation  may  prove  to  be  un- 
founded, we  shall  specify  some  particulars.  To  avoid 
producing  a  false  impression  we  will  premise,  that  we  do 
not  mean  to  apply  the  facts  which  we  communicate  to  all 
the  members  of  the  several  Presbyteries  composing  this 


Synod — and  we  wish  this  remark  to  be  remembered  by  the 
reader  in  perusing  what  we  may  write  concerning  the  other 
Synods.  There  is  probahly  a  majority  in  all  these  bodies 
who  are  opposed  to  those  extreme  views  in  doctrine,  and 
those  extravagant  measures  which  are  entertained  and  prac- 
tised by  some  of  their  number.  But  their  existence  among 
them  shews  there  is  cause  for  alarm  ;  and  the  length  of  time 
in  which  they  have  prevailed  affords  proof  of  a  culpable 
lenity  on  the  part  of  those  who  disapprove  of  them,  in  not 
bringing  their  abettors  (except  in  a  few  instances)  under 
ecclesiastical  censure. 

During  my  excursion  I  had  an  interview  with  a  lajnuan 
of  some  intelligence  and  standing  in  society,  who,  until  a 
short  time  past,  has  been  a  member  for  10  or  12  years,  of 
one  of  the  churches  in  Oneida  Presbytery,  but  is  now  con- 
nected with  a  church  in  the  Presbytery  of  Oswego.     He 
said  he  believed  Adam  sinned,  because  God  could  not  pre- 
vent him  without  altering  his  plan  of  government.     I  re- 
plied. If  God  could  not  prevent  Adam  from  falling,  can  he 
keep  christians  from  falling  ?     He  answered,  No  ;  if  they 
resolve  not  to  be  influenced  by  the  motives  which  he  pre- 
sents to  encourage  them  to  persevere.     I  believe  christians 
may  fall  away.     He  said  he  did  not  believe  in  the  imputa- 
tion of  Adam's  sin,  or  that  we  are  born  sinners — ^but  that 
when  we  are  born  we  are  destitute  of  moral  character.     In 
regard  to  conversion,  he  said,  there  are  some  things  which 
God  cannot  do  for  the  sinner — they  are  the  sinner's  own 
acts,  and  not  God's.     He  commands  the  sinner  to  repent 
and  make  to  iiimself  anew  heart,  and  he  can  do  it  if  he  will. 
He  was  told  he  can  do  it  by  the  assistance  of  God's  Spirit. 
He  replied,  I  will  not  say  this,  though  I  admit  the  Holy 
Spirit  has  an  agency  in  the  conversion  of  the  sinner.     He 
was  asked  what  kind  of  agency  ?  Just  such  an  agency,  said 
he,  as  I  should  exert  over  you,  in  persuading  you  to  go  to 
Rome.     I  observed  to  him.  You  might /«i7  in  attempting  to 
persuade  me  to  go  to  Rome.     So  may  God  fail,  said  he,  of 
the  conversion  of  the  sinner.     God  is  as  dependent  upon 
3 


io 

the  sinner  in  his  conversion  as  the  sinner  is  upon  God.  The 
moment  in  which  a  sinner  is  converted,  he  said,  he  is  holy — 
he  is  right — he  is  just  as  God  requires  him  to  be  ;  he  loves 
God  with  all  the  heart  and  soul  and  strength  and  mind,  and 
he  might  continue  in  this  state  if  he  icould ;  but  he  yields  to 
temptation  and  so  falls  into  sin.  By  loving  God  with  all  the 
heart,  he  said,  he  meant  not  the  heart  of  a  man  but  of  a 
child ;  and  hence  he  is  to  grow  in  grace.  When  he  is  con- 
verted he  is  free  from  sin,  and  by  growing  in  grace  he  meant 
that  he  becomes  stronger,  more  firmly  established,  &c.  I 
asked  him  if  the  church  to  which  he  formerly  belonged  held 
as  he  did.  He  ansv/ered,  Yes.  And  does  the  minister*  of 
that  church  believe  and  preach  so  ?  He  replied,  Yes ;  I 
have  had  long  conversations  with  him,  and  have  met  with 
no  body  that  so  nearly  accords  with  my  sentiments  as  he 
does,  except  brother ,f  I  asked  him  whether  anoth- 
er church,  which  I  named,  entertained  the  same  doctrinal 
views  as  the  church  to  which  he  belonged.  He  said.  Not 
altogether ;  but  they  differ  more  particularly  in  regard  to 
measures  than  to  doctrine.  The  latter  are  in  favor  of  hav- 
ing females  pray  in  promiscuous  assembles — ^the  former  are 
opposed  to  it. 

A  week  or  two  previous  to  this  conversation,  this  man 
had  been  received,  by  letter,  as  a  member  of  a  Presbyterian 
church,  and  the  session  of  that  church  (they  had  no  pastor) 
were  acquainted  with  his  sentiments.  One  of  the  el- 
ders is  said  to  be  favorable  to  them,  a  second  is  thoroughly 
orthodox,  and  the  other  stands  somewhere  between  the 
two ;  but  the  second  with  whom  I  conversed  did  not  feel  at 
liberty  to  object  to  his  admission,  because  he  came  with 
"  clean  papers"  from  a  church  in  connection  with  our  body. 

Perfectionism  exists,  to  some  extent,  in  several  churches 


*  He  is  a  Congrcf.'ationalist. 

I  The  brother  to  whom  I  suppose  he  referred  was  a  member  of  the  Auburn 
Convention,  and  in  a  speech  which  ho  made  expressed  gratitude  that  there 
was  such  a  man  in  the  General  Assembly  as  Col.  Jcssuj),  to  defend  the 
churches  in  Western  New- York  against  the  charges  of  heresy  which  had 
been  slanderously  raised  concerning  them. 


11 

in  the  Oswego  Presbytery.  In  one  of  them  it  prevails  to 
such  a  degree  that  their  pastor,  after  endeavoring,  in  vain,  for 
several  months,  to  resist  the  cuiTent,  has  given  up  in  dis- 
couragement and  removed  to  another  congregation.  It  is 
not  countenanced,  so  far  as  I  could  learn,  by  any  of  the  min- 
isters ;  but  I  infer,  from  the  following  remarks,  that  it  is  re- 
garded with  some  favor  by  a  considerable  number  of  the 
people,  not  only  in  that  Presb5l;ery  but  in  the  other  Presby- 
teries belonging  to  this  Synod.  I  asked  a  minister,  who  is 
preaching  to  a  large  congregation  in  the  Presbjiiery  of  Os- 
vv^ego,  what  had  been  the  effect  of  Mr.  Finney's  measures 
in  that  section  of  the  state.  He  said  it  would  have  been 
good,  if  there  had  been  no  opposition  made  to  them ;  that 
his  measures  never  did  any  harm  ;  they  were  wise  and  prop- 
er, and  well  adapted  to  the  times ;  but  several  newspapei*s 
were  established  with  a  view  of  throwing  odium  upon  him, 
and  thus  much  hurt  was  done.  He  alluded,  he  said,  to  the 
Utica  Christian  Journal,  the  Albany  Telegraph  and  Boston 
Telegraph.  I  asked  him  whether  Mr.  Finney  would  be  as 
cordially  received  now,  in  those  places  where  he  formerly 
preached,  as  he  was  then  ?  He  said,  Not  in  all  of  them,  be- 
cause he  now  advances  certain  doctrines  which  he  did  not 
at  that  time ;  [he  referred  to  the  report,  which  w^as  then 
current,  that  Mr.  Finney  had  become  a  Perfectionist ;]  but, 
he  added,  in  a  large  number  of  places  he  would  be  received 
as  cordially  as  lie  was  then. 

But  though  the  ministers  are  all  opposed  (it  is  probable) 
to  perfectionism,  some  of  them,  in  each  of  the  Presbyteries, 
embrace  the  New-Haven  Theology.  In  several  of  them 
we  could  specify  individuals  who  are  known  to  be  favorable 
to  that  system ;  and  in  regard  to  others  we  have  authority 
for  saying  that  the  views  of  Dr.  Taylor  are  more  or  less 
prevalent.  But  as  we  do  not  intend  (as  we  said  before)  to 
become  the  retailer  of  general  and  intangible  rumors,  we 
shall  refer  to  a  particular  case.  In  the  spring  of  1833, 1  be- 
came acquainted  with  a  licentiate  of  a  Congregational  As- 
sociation, who  was  desirous  of  entering  the  Presbyterian 
church.     After  conversing  with  him  for  an  hour,  I  told  him 


12 

frankly  but  kindly,  that  I  hoped  he  never  would  seek  admis- 
sion into  our  church  ;  that,  in  my  opinion,  a  man  entertain- 
ing his  views  could  not,  with  propriety,  subscribe  our  Stand- 
ards, &c.  Shortly  afterwards  he  was  ordained  by  an  Asso- 
ciation, and  settled  over  a  church  connected  with  us  on  the 
accommodation  plan,  in  the  Presbytery  of  Watertown.  He 
is  now  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  Oneida.  Soon  after 
his  ordination,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  a  friend  of  mine,  of  which 
the  following  is  an  extract.     The  letter  is  dated  Sept.  30, 

1S33.     He  writes,  "  1  am  now  over  the  church  at , 

having  received  a  call  a  few  weeks  since.  It  is  a  Presby- 
terian church,  or  rather  on  the  '  accommodating'  plan." 

"  I  am  surrounded  by  ministers,  and  have  no  difficulty  in 
exchanging  desks.  Here  are  two  near  me,  who  are  limited 
atonement  men,  I  believe,  who  are  very  shy.  O  my  dear 
brother,  beware  of  that  doctrine  of  a  limited  atonement.  I 
hope  I  do  not  go  too  far,  when  I  say  it  had  its  rise  from  the 
devil.  Mr.  Wood  of  Amsterdam,  I  have  understood,  is  de- 
cidedly on  the  old  school  platform." "  It  is  astonishing 

that,  at  the  present  day  of  light  and  Imowledge,  men's  un- 
derstandings should  be  so  blinded.  For  my  part  I  am  aw- 
fully prejudiced  against  the  old  school  divinity.  I  cannot  in- 
vite a  man  to  preach  for  me,  whose  doctrines  are  so  utterly 
repugnant  to  the  word  of  God.  I  do  not  here  speak  of  Mr. 
Wood  at  all,  but  of  a  certain  class  of  men,  such,  for  instance, 

as  the  individuals  near  me." "  Dr.  Sprague,  of  Albany,  I 

mean,  and  old  Dr.  Green  of  Philadelphia,  and  Dr.  Griffin,* 
and  Miller,  and  Alexander,  «fcc.  Have  you  seen  Dr. 
Spraguc's  [of  Albany]  book  on  revivals  ?  O,  I  am  afraid 
that  that  man  will  ruin  souls  in  hell  by  that  pernicious  book. 
My  motto  is,  '  Touch  not,  taste  not,  handle  not.'  I  want 
you  candidly  to  answer  the  following  questions.  Do  you 
believe  infants  have  a  moral  character  ?  Are  we  to  be  ac- 
countable for  the  moral  act  of  our  first  parents  1  "Wliat  do 
you  think  of  the  New-Haven  Theology  ?  Do  you  acquiesce 


♦  Dr.  Griffin  was  probably  included  in  this  category  because  he  had  pub- 
fished  a  wofk  on  Divine  Efficiency. 


13 

in  Dr.  Taylor's  notions  1  Do  you  consider  them  agreeable 
with  the  Scriptures  ?  His  divinity  is  spreading  very  widely. 
For  my  part,  I  do  not  believe  there  is  any  perfect  system  of 

Theology  but  the  Divine  Oracles." "  I  am  really  glad 

that has  commenced  his  studies." ''I  hope  he  will 

not  imbibe  the  principles  of  the  Princeton  Divmity.  That 
is  a  good  seminary,  but  the  doctrines  are  not  calculated  for 
building  up  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  as  others  are." 

Whether  the  state  of  things  is  better  now  than  it  was  five 
years  ago,  I  am  not  competent  to  decide.  In  Oneida  Pres- 
bytery I  have  been  assured  that  it  is.  There  has  been  an 
almost  entire  change  of  ministers  there  within  a  few  years, 
and  a  majority  of  them  are  disposed  to  do  all  in  their  power 
to  correct  the  errors  of  the  past.  At  their  meeting  in  June 
last,  a  resolution  was  adopted  to  call  to  account  two  or  three 
of  their  members,  who  had  been  moving  for  some  time  past 
like  "  wandering  stars,"  in  very  irregular  orbits.  We  trust 
they  will  be  successful  in  their  efforts,  and  restore  the  char- 
acter of  that  Presbytery  to  what  it  was  when  it  was  first 
organized. 

Synod  ©fi  Geneva. 

This  Synod  was  constituted  by  a  division  of  the  Synod 
of  Albany,  in  1812.  It  then  consisted  of  three  Presbyte- 
ries, viz.  Geneva,  Cayuga  and  Onondaga,  to  which  the 
following  have  since  been  added :  Bath,  Cortland,  Chenan- 
go, Tioga,  Delaware  and  Chemung.  The  Presbytery  of 
Geneva  was  formed  from  a  part  of  the  Presbytery  of  Onei- 
da, in  1805,  and  consisted  of  4  ministers.  No  congregations 
are  named.  In  1807  they  reported  9  congregations,  and 
in  1809,  12,  as  follows :  Geneseo,  Ulysses,  Milton,  Romu- 
lus, Onondaga,  Caledonia,  Junius,  Geneva,  Gorham,  Seneca, 
and  two  Congregational  churches  ;  total,  12.  In  1814,  they 
reported  31  churches,  5  of  which,  we  believe,  were  Congi-e- 
gational,  and  probably  more.     According  to  a  statement  m- 


14 

ccntly  pu])lished  by  that  Presbytery,  they  have  at  present 
but  one  Congregational  church.* 

The  Presbyteries  of  Cayuga  and  Onondaga  were  consti- 
tuted in  1810  ;  the  history  of  which  is  as  follows.  In  1808 
the  Synod  of  Albany,  by  permission  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly, received  the  Middle  Association  of  the  Western  Dis- 
trict as  a  constituent  part  of  that  Synod.  In  1809  they  re- 
ported to  the  Synod  21  congregations.  In  the  minutes  of 
the  General  Assembly  for  that  year  and  the  next,  they  are 
embraced  in  the  statistical  account ;  but  tlie  number  and 
names  of  theu-  congregations  are  not  given  ;  except  that  in 
1810  seven  of  them  are  mentioned  as  having  taken  up  col- 
lections, viz.  Aurelius,  Cazenovia,  Sempronius,  Otisco,  Fa- 
bius,  1st  church  in  Genoa,  and  Homer.  In  the  fall  of  that 
year,  the  Presbytery  of  Geneva  and  the  Middle  Association 
made  a  joint  request  to  Synod  to  be  organized  into  three 
Presbyteries,  which  was  accordingly  done.  Previous  to  this 
the  Presbytery  of  Geneva  embraced  all  the  territory  west 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Oneida.  By  this  arrangement  that 
part  of  the  Geneva  Presbytery  which  lay  east  of  Cayuga 
Lake  was  detached  from  it,  and  in  connexion  with  the 
churches  belonging  to  the  Association,  two  Presbyteries 
were  formed,  viz.  Cayuga  and  Onondaga.  But  though  the 
eastern  section  of  the  territory  previously  belonging  to  tiie 
Presbytery  of  Geneva  was  divided  between  the  two  new 
Presbyteries,  it  will  be  seen  by  a  recurrence  to  the  report 
of  1809,  as  given  above,  that  it  contained  but  one  congre- 
gation, viz.  Onondaga.  Of  course  those  two  Presbyteries, 
with  this  single  exception,  were  composed  of  the  churches 


*  I  saw  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  soon  after  this  statement  vvaspubhshed, 
who  told  me  it  must  be  a  mistake,  for  he  knew  of  3  that  arc  Congregational. 
Ho  was  not  present  at  the  meeting,  when  the  resolution  containing  this  state- 
ment was  passed.  Of  course  either  one  or  the  other  must  be  in  an  error ;  and 
though  the  presbytery,  one  would  think,  arc  the  best  authority,  I  can  easily 
see  that,  in  calling  the  roll  and  asking  the  several  members  present  what 
they  knew  of  this  or  that  church,  a  mistake  might  have  been  committed, 
without  blame  to  any  one,  unless  it  bo  the  blame  of  ignorance.  Wo  will 
put  it  down,  however,  according  to  the  statement  of  the  Presbytery. 


15 

belonging  to  the  Middle  Association  ;  and  though  they  had 
changed  their  name  from  an  Association  to  that  of  Pres- 
byteries, they  were  still  Congregational  cliurches.  Their 
fu'st  report,  in  1811,  shews  that  the  Presbytery  of  Cayuga 
had  15  congregations,  and  the  Presbytery  of  Onondaga  13. 
Witliin  8  years  from  this  time  they  had,  taken  together, 
more  than  doubled.  The  former  reported,  in  1819,28  con- 
gregations, and  the  latter  29.  This  increase  was  owing  in 
part  to  the  dissolution  of  the  Onondaga  Association,  the 
ministers  and  churches  belonging  to  which,  connected  them- 
selves with  those  two  Presb5l;eries.  As  they  consisted  'of 
Congregational  materials  in  their  commencement,  so  like- 
wise in  their  progress.  Concerning  their  present  organiza- 
tion I  am  not  able  to  speak  with  any  degree  of  precision. 
After  the  chairman  of  the  committee  on  statistics  in  the  Au- 
burn convention  had  presented  their  report,  I  asked  him 
how  many  Congregational  churches  there  are  in  those  two 
Presbyteries,  but  he  could  not  tell ;  which  shows  how  very 
general  must  have  been  the  inquiries  of  the  committee,  or 
else  that  they  were  very  unsuccessful  in  obtaining  informa- 
tion. A  minister  who  has  been  preaching  for  about  one 
year  in  the  Cayuga  Presbytery  informed  me  that  he  knew 
of  two,  but  how  many  there  are  in  the  Presbytery  he  was 
unable  to  say.  I  shall  be  obliged  therefore  to  leave  these 
two  Presbyteries  without  even  a  conjecture  how  they  arc 
organized  ;  unless  it  be  a  fair  inference  that  since  they  were 
Congregationalists  in  1810  and  1819, — and  since  they  came 
in  under  a  pledge,  as  Mr.  Hotchkin  said  in  the  Convention, 
that  their  rights  as  Congregationalists  should  never  be  in- 
vaded ;  therefore  they  are  Congregationahsts  now.  Doubt- 
less a  considerable  number  of  them  are ;  but  whetlier  a 
majority  or  a  minority,  I  cannot  affirm. 

Tiie  Presbyteiy  of  Bath  was  formed  from  the  Presbyteiy 
of  Geneva,  in  1817.  Two  years  afterwards,  (which  was 
the  fii'st  time  they  reported  to  the  General  Assembly)  they 
had  11  churches,  3  of  which,  if  not  more,  were  Congrega- 
tional. The  church  in  Bath  was  Congregational  when  it 
was  organized  and  had  commitee  men,  according  to  the  plan 


16 

of  union  of  1801 ;  but  in  1811  they  fully  adopted  the  Pres^ 
byterian  form  of  government,  and  appointed  ruling  elders. 
There  are  now  at  least  2,  and  we  believe  3  Congregational 
churches  in  the  Presbytery,  one  of  which  is  the  largest  church 
in  their  bounds. 

The  Presb^'tery  of  Cortland  was  organized  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Onondaga,  in  1825.  According  to  their  1st 
report,  in  1827  they  had  14  churches,  7  of  which  we  have 
good  evidence  to  believe,  were  Congregational ;  and  a  large 
portion  of  the  remaining  7  were  probably  of  this  charac- 
ter. See  the  Minutes  of  the  Assembly  for  1814,  1818  and 
1825,  from  which  it  will  appear  that  nearly  all  of  these 
churches  either  had  their  origin  in  the  Middle  Association, 
or  bear  other  marks  of  being  Congregational.  A  member 
of  the  Presbytery  whom  I  savi  at  Auburn  informed  me  that 
they  now  have  4  or  5  of  this  description,  and  possibly  more  ; 
he  could  not  speak  with  certainty.* 

The  Presbytery  of  Chenango  was  organized  from  Otse- 
go in  1826.  Its  history  is  as  follows.  The  ministers  be- 
longing to  the  Union  Association  not  being  able  to  obtain  a 
vote  for  dissolving  the  body  because  the  churches  were  op- 
posed to  the  measure,  "  ran  away  from  it,"  as  my  informant 
expressed  himself,  and  joined  the  Otsego  Presbytery.  Im- 
mediately afterwards  the  Presbytery  made  application  to 
the  General  Assembly  for  the  formation  of  a  new  Pres- 
bytery to  be  called  Chenango,  which  request  was  granted, 
and  a  Presbytery  was  formed,  consisting  of  ministers  only. 
Their  first  meeting  at  Oxford  gave  the  first  intimation  which 
the  churches  received  that  a  Presbytery  had  been  consti- 
tuted. From  another  source  I  have  received  substantially 
the  same  account,  differing  only  in  regard  to  the  time  at 
which  the  Union  Association  was  broken  up.  He  says,  the 
Presbytery  "  consisted  of  5  ministers  and  no  churches  at  all. 


*  I  haxe  been  told  that  a  member  of  that  Presbytery  stated  not  long  since 
that  there  was  but  one  church  in  that  Presbytery  which  had  a  regular  session 
according  to  the  Constitution  of  the  Presbyterian  churcli ;  but  how  much 
credit  should  be  given  to  it,  I  cannot  say. 


17 

In  September  of  that  year,  [it  was  organized  in  June,]  an  ac- 
commodation plan  grounded  on  that  negotiated  with  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  1808,  was  adopted  ;  allowing  churches  to 
govern  themselves  upon  purely  Congregational  principles 
with  a  few  trifling  exceptions,  and  2  churches  joined.  Some 
time  after  Ihat,  the  Union  Association  was  broken  up,  and 
the  churches  mostly  came  mto  Presbytery."  From  the  same 
individual  I  learn  that  "there  are  now  nominally  14  Con- 
gregational churches,  the  real  existence  of  two  of  them 
doubtful,"  and  "  5  nominally  Presbyterian  churches,  the  ex- 
istence of  two  very  doubtful,  one  of  them  not  on  the  statis- 
tical report  of  Presbytery  to  General  Assembly."  Their 
last  report  to  the  General  Assembly  gives  them  only  17 
churches  ;  the  above  statement  gives  19.  One  of  them,  it 
is  said,  was  not  on  the  report,  and  the  other  may  have  been 
omitted  by  mistake  of  the  clerk. 

The  Presbytery  of  Tioga  was  constituted  from  the  Pres- 
b}^ery  of  Cayuga,  in  1829.  In  the  following  year  they 
reported  14  churches,  5  of  which,  as  will  appear  by  a  ref- 
erence to  former  minutes  of  the  General  Assembly,  were 
Congregational ;  and  it  is  to  be  inferred  from  the  character 
of  the  Presbytery  from  which  it  was  organized  that  the  re- 
mainder were  mostly  of  this  description.  I  received  an 
impression  at  the  Auburn  convention  that  they  are  now 
very  similar  to  the  Presbyteries  of  Otsego  and  Delaware, 
i.  e.  nearly  equally  divided ;  but  as  I  was  not  perfectly  cer- 
tain, I  addressed  a  letter  of  inquiry  to  a  member  of  the 
Presbytery,  from  whom  I  have  received  no  answer.  I  shall 
therefore  put  them  down  according  to  my  impression  at  that 
time. 

The  Presbytery  of  Delaware  was  formed  from  Chenan- 
go, in  18.31  ;  and  consisted,  according  to  their  first  report 
of  14  churches,  nearly  all  of  which,  (coming  from  Chenan- 
go Presbytery,)  were  undoubtedly  Congregational.  It  was 
stated  at  the  Auburn  Convention  that  there  are  now  about 
as  many  Presbyterian  as  Congregational.  One  of  the  lat- 
ter class,  at  least,  has  a  standing  committee,  and  of  course 
was  organized  on  the  plan  of  1801. 
3 


IS 

The  Presbytery  of  Chemung  was  constituted  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Bath,  in  1836;  and  consists  of  22  churches, 
one  of  which,  if  not  more,  was  originally  Congregational ; 
but  they  are  all  at  this  time  (according  to  a  declaration 
made  at  the  Convention)  Presbyterian. 

We  may  present  therefore,  the  following  tabular  view : 

Geneva,       39  churches,  38  Presbyterian,  and        1  Congregational. 
Cayur::a,      31  churches,  how  organized  we  know  not, 

Onondaga,  24  churches,  do.                    do. 

Bath,            19  churches,  17  Presbyterian,  and        2  Congregational. 

Cortland,     15  churches,  8  Pres,  (probably)  and  7  Congregational. 

Chenango,  19  churches,  5  Presbyterian,  and      14  Congregational. 

Tioga,          18  churches,  9  Presbyterian,  and        9  Congregational. 

Delaware,    19  churches.  10  Presbyterian,  and        9  Congregational. 

Chemung,  22  churches,  22  Presbyterian. 

Total  as  far  as  known,         109  Presbyterian,  and      42  Congregational.* 

In  some  of  the  Presbyteries  the  preferences  of  the  people 
are  decidedly  in  favor  of  Congregationalism.  Concerning 
one  of  them  I  have  received  the  following  testimony :  "  I 
think  the  plan  (meaning  the  plan  of  union)  has  not  worked 
well  on  the  whole  ;  though  perhaps  some  good  has  resulted. 
The  churches  have  never  been  very  cordial  towards  Pres- 
bytery." "  A  majority  in  most  of  the  churches  would  pre- 
fer belonging  to  a  Congregational  Association  ;  a  minority 
in  many  of  them  would  not,  and  perhaps  a  majority  in  some 
would  not."  In  regard  to  the  territory  embraced  by  two 
or  three  others,  another  has  remarked  that  he  believes  those 
churches  formed  on  the  accommodation  plan  would  prefer 
to  become  Congregationalists  altogether,  but  they  are  pre- 
vented by  the  influence  of  their  ministers.  To  show  the 
jealousy  which  they  feel  towards  Presbyterianism,  he  said 
the  pastor  of  one  of  the  churches  proposed,  as  the  first  ar- 
ticle of  a  confession  of  faith  for  that  church,  "  that  they 
adopt  the  Confession  of  Faith  of  the  Presbyterian  church 

*  We  think  it  higlily  probable  that  a  full  report  from  all  the  Presbyteries 
would  make  the  proportion  of  Congregational  churches  larger  than  is  here 
presented  ;  but  as  we  have  resolved  not  to  exaggerate,  we  have  put  the  num- 
ber of  Congregational  churches  emaller  in  two  or  three  instances  than  th^ 
truth  would  probably  require. 


19 

as  containing  the  system  of  doctrine  taught  in  the  Sacred 
Scriptures,"  but  it  was  rejected ;  not  because  the  church 
did  not  approve  of  our  Confession  of  Faith,  but  because 
they  regarded  it  as  the  first  step  towards  endeavouring  to 
make  them  Presbyterians.  Concerning  one  or  two  more 
of  the  Presbyteries,  it  was  distinctly  intimated  at  the  Au- 
burn Convention  that  many  of  the  churches  prefer  Con- 
gregationahsm  ;  and  unless  they  can  enjoy  it  in  the  Presby- 
terian church,  they  will  form  some  other  connection.  Three 
or  four  of  the  Presbyteries  are  probably  satisfied  as  a  body 
with  the  Presbyterian  form  of  government,  and  perhaps  pre- 
fer it  to  any  other  ;  but  in  nearly  all  of  them  there  are  in- 
dividual churches  who  would  be  better  pleased  if  they  were 
connected  with  a  Congregational  Association. 

Some  portions  of  the  Synod  are  in  a  good  degree  exempt 
from  those  errors  and  irregularities  which  have  prevailed 
in  that  section  of  the  state.  But  in  regard  to  other  portions 
the  same  testimony  could  not  be  given.  A  letter  which 
was  first  published  in  the  Hartford  Christian  Watchman 
soon  after  the  meeting  of  the  last  Assembly,  and  which  is 
understood  to  have  been  written  by  a  member  of  the  Cort- 
land Presbytery,  contams  the  followmg :  "  I  declared  more 
than  once  before  the  Assembly,  that  the  errors  against 
which  the  Convention  testified  do  exist,  and  that  I  was 
ready  to  vote  for  their  condemnation.  In  my  views  of  the 
existence  of  these  errors,  and  of  the  duty  of  condemning 
them,  I  presume  at  least  one  half  of  the  delegation  from  the 
interior  of  New  York  coincide."  Another  member  of  that 
Presbytery  addressed  a  letter  about  fifteen  months  ago  to  a 
member  of  the  Presbytery  of  Albany  which  contained  a 
remark  to  the  following  efi'ect :  (I  have  not  the  letter  in  my 
possession  though  I  have  seen  it)  "  When  I  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Albany  Presbytery,  I  was  regarded  as  a  new 
vieasure  man — but  here  I  am  considered  to  be  such  an 
old  measure  man,  that  I  cannot  satisfy  the  people,  and  shall 
be  obliged  to  leave  my  congregation."  Concerning  the 
Presbytery  of  Delaware,  a  minister  who  has  resided  in  their 
bounds   observed   in   general   terms,   "  the  ministers   and 


20 

churches  are  generally  new  measure."  Of  the  Presbytery 
of  Chenango  another  minister  writes,  "  A  considerable  num- 
ber of  members  and  two  ministers  incline  strongly  to  Tay- 
lorism — I  should  say  are  Taylorites — more  are  not  sound 
Calvinists  of  the  Edwards  stamp.  Our  theology  has  many 
shades — our  irregularities  are  such  as  naturally  spring  from 
a  kind  of  fever  and  ague  fits  in  churches,  with  the  ague  by 
far  the  longest."  The  preceding  remark  concerning  Tay- 
lorism  will  also  apply  to  one  or  two  ministers  in  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Geneva  (I  speak  by  authority  of  one  of  their 
members,)  and  to  the  same  number  in  the  Presbytery  of 
Cayuga. 

In  a  few  churches  in  several  of  the  Presbyteries,  perfec- 
tionism has  prevailed  to  a  greater  or  less  extent;  but  except 
in  two  or  three  cases,  it  has  received  no  countenance  from 
the  ministers.  In  1833,  a  very  laudable  zeal  was  mani- 
fested in  endeavouring  to  prevent  the  errors  and  extrava- 
gances of  Mr.  Myrick,  (one  of  the  leaders  of  the  perfection- 
ists,) who  held  protracted  meetings  for  a  short  time  in  some 
of  their  churches.  The  Presbyteries  of  Cayuga  and  Onon- 
daga each  issued  a  circular  warning  the  churches  to  beware 
of  Mr.  Myrick,  and  they  also  entered  a  complaint  against 
him  to  the  Oneida  Presbytery,  of  which  he  was  then  a 
member.  The  following  extract  of  a  letter  written  at  the 
time  by  a  member  of  the  Onondaga  Presbytery,  will  show 
what  were  Mr.  Myrick's  sentiments  and  measures,  and  tAso 
the  feelings  of  the  Presbytery  towards  him  :  "  I  will  now 
mention  some  things"  [concering  Mr.  M.,]  "  a  part  of  which 
I  have  heard  myself,  and  a  part  heard  by  a  gentleman  of 
veracity  to  whom  I  will  refer  you." .  ..."  1st.  Entering' 
other  congregations,  and  holding  protracted  meetings  with- 
out the  consent  of  either  pastor  or  church."  .  .  .  .  "  2d.  Irre- 
verent praying,  such  as  '  God  smite  the  devil,' '  God  smite  the 
whited  sepulchres,'  'Jesus  Cin-ist  come  down  here  and  attend 
to  these  hard  cases,'  accompanied  by  loud  respondings, 
groaning,  jumping,  leaping,  stamping,  smiting  fists  and  hands, 
pounding  on  the  floor,  &c.  3d.  Profane  language,  such  as 
*  you  are  as  black  as  hell,'  '  wicked  as  hell,'  '  proud  as  hell,' 


21 

*  damned  devils,'  '  the  devil  is  in  j'ou,'  *  hell  hardened,'  '  God. 
provoking  wretches.'  4th.  Abusive  treatment  of  professed 
Christians  and  ministers  "who  did  not  unite  with  him  in  his 
movements  and  measures.  He  called  them '  the  children  of 
the  devil,'  '  drone  bees  in  God's  hive,'  '  too  cursed  lazy  to 
work,'  '  fattening  on  the  blood  of  damned  souls,'  '  God  would 
give  them  blood  to  drink,'  «fec.  5th.  Erroneous  doctrines.  He 
says  the  Holy  Ghost  never  operates  on  impenitent  sinners, 
that  the  sinner  does  not  need  the  Spirit  in  order  to  repent ; 
that  all  such  professors  of  religion  as  have  any  remaining 
sin  are  not  born  of  God,  but  are  going  to  hell ;  that  real 
Christians  do  fall  into  their  former  impenitent  state  and  go 
to  hell ;  that  God  would  not  accept  of  any  service,  nor  hear 
the  prayer  of  any  person  who  had  the  least  remaining  sin  5 
and  that  a  person  may  be  converted  and  submit  to  God,  and 
yet  not  be  a  Christian,  for  he  may  not  have  received  Christ, 
and  may  not  have  been  baptized  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  .... 
"  Gth.  He  denounces  in  strong  terms  all  creeds,  confessions 
of  faith,  the  commentaries  on  the  Bible  and  systems  of  di- 
vinity." .  .  .  .  "  What  you  state  in  relation  to  the  ministers 
in  this  county,  being  unwilling  to  admit  him  into  their  pul- 
pits, I  believe  to  be  true.  It  is  my  opinion,  sir,  that  there 
is  not  a  church  and  minister  in  the  county  that  would  be 
ready  to  receive  him  as  a  preacher.  The  time  has  been 
when  some  did,  but  it  has,  I  believe,  been  to  their  sorrow. 
I  do  not  know  of  any  minister  in  this  Presbytery  that  would 
sustain  him  in  this  course,  unless  it  be  perhaps  A.  and  P." 
Mr.  Myrick  is  now  a  Congregatonalist,  and  is  located  in  the 
bounds  of  that  Presbytery.  He  is  the  editor  of  a  paper, 
and  by  this  means  as  well  as  by  his  preaching,  is  promul- 
gating his  pernicious  doctrines — and  I  regret  to  add,  they 
are  embraced  by  a  few  in  quite  a  number  of  churches,  to 
the  great  grief  and  vexation  of  their  brethren  and  pastors. 
The  question  whether  the  state  of  things  is  better  now 
than  it  was  five  years  ago,  has  received  different  answers. 
One  brother  writes,  "  A  comparison  of  the  present  state  of 
things  with  that  of  five  years  ago,  so  far  as  I  know,  would 
lead  me  to  conclude,  that  there  is  little  difference,  except  a 


22 

little  more  caution  and  far  less  action  of  any  kind."  An- 
other  has  expressed  a  difterent  opinion.  Probably  in  some 
Presbyteries  there  is  not  much  change,  while  in  others  there 
may  be.  One  circumstance  (given  by  the  latter  as  proof 
of  the  correctness  of  his  opinion)  is  very  favorable.  A  few 
years  ago  the  Rev.  Dr.  Richards  was  considered  to  be  so 
far  behind  the  spirit  of  the  age,  that  some  young  men  of  21 
had  more  influence  with  the  churches  than  he.  But  now 
it  is  otherwise.  There  is  a  return,  among  the  people,  to  a 
greater  degree  of  Christian  decorum — old  age  is  more 
honoured — ministerial  character  and  standing  are  more  re- 
spected— and  more  deference  is  paid  to  the  counsels  of 
wisdom  and  experience. 


This  Synod  was  constituted,  in  1821,  by  a  division  of 
the  Synod  of  Geneva,  and  cimsisted  of  four  Presbyteries,  viz. 
Niagara,  Genesee,  Rochester  and  Ontario,  to  which  two 
others  have  since  been  added — Buffalo  and  Angelica. 
The  Presbytery  of  Niagara  was  organized,  in  1817,  by  a 
division  of  the  Presbytery  of  Geneva,  consisting  of  three 
ministers,  and  (so  far  as  I  can  ascertain  from  the  reports  of 
the  Geneva  Presbytery  previous  to  this  time)  of  not  more 
than  two  or  three  churches.  But  during  that  year  a  number  of 
new  ones  were  organized;  and,  in  1818,  according  to  a 
statement  made  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Stillman,  there  were  at 
least  six  Congregational  churches  belonging  to  the  Presby- 
tery ;  which  doubtless  embraced  two-thirds  or  three-fourths 
of  the  whole  number.  The  next  year  the  number  was 
greatly  increased.  They  reported,  in  1 8 1 9,  thirty-two  Con- 
gregations ;  twenty-six  of  which  were  vacant.  Most  of 
them  had  been  just  formed,  and,  as  we  have  good  evidence 
for  believing,  were  organized  on  the  plan  of  union.  But  a 
large  part  of  these  were  set  oft'  in  a  few  years  to  form  a  new 
Presbytery,  which  reduced  their  number  to  thirteen.  Their 
present  number  is  sixteen,  all  but  four  of  which,  (according 
to  an  account  given  mc  by  one  of  their  members,)  are  Pres- 


23 

byterian,  though  he  could  not  speak  with  certainty  in  re- 
gard to  some  of  them. 

The  Presbytery  of  Ontario  was  also  formed  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Geneva,  and,  at  the  same  time,  with  that  of 
Niagara,  viz.  in  1817.  The  number  of  churches  belonging 
to  it  when  it  was  organized,  we  have  no  means  of  ascer- 
taining. In  1819,  there  were  twenty-three,  five  of  which 
at  least,  and  probably  eight  or  ten,  were  Congregational. 
At  present  I  learn  that  the  number  of  Congregational 
churches  is  five  or  six. 

The  Presb}-tery  of  Genesee  was  constituted  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Ontario,  in  1819,  consisting  of  one  Presby- 
terian church  and  four  or  five  Congregational.  In  1825, 
they  reported  twenty-two  churches,  seven  of  which,  so  far 
as  we  are  able  to  ascertain,  were  Congregational.  Con- 
cerning the  remainder  w^e  are  not  informed.  At  the  pre- 
sent time  the  number  of  Congregational  churches  does  not 
exceed  five  or  six.  At  the  time  or  soon  after  the  Presby- 
tery was  formed,  an  exposition  of  the  plan  of  union  was 
drawn  up,  and  transcribed  into  their  Presbyterial  Records, 
for  the  information  of  the  churches  under  tlieir  care.  In 
that  exposition  no  allusion  is  made,  my  informant  thinks,  to 
any  other  plan  than  that  of  1801  ;  in  accordance  with  which 
it  was  supposed  by  the  Presbytery  that  the  churches  might 
either  appoint  a  standing  committee,  or  if  they  preferred  it, 
might  transact  their  business  through  the  male  members  of 
the  church  taken  as  a  body ;  acting  in  the  latter  case  as  a 
kind  of  committee  of  the  whole,  in  the  place  of  havino-  a 
session  or  a  standing  committee — doing  their  business  in 
their  own  way,  but  subject  to  the  revision  of  the  Presbjtery. 
This  latter  plan  has  generally  been  adopted  ;  but  no  such 
thing  has  ever  been  known  in  that  Presbytery  as  referring 
matters  to  Congregational  councils. 

The  Presbytery  of  Rochester  was  likewise  formed  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Ontario,  and,  in  the  same  year,  wuth  that 
of  Genesee,  viz.  in  1819.  It  consisted,  as  far  as  we  can 
ascertain,  of  seven  or  eight  churches,  several  of  which  are 
known  to  have  been  Congregational — and  probabh^  most 


24 

of  them  were.  One  well  acquainted  with  their  history  has 
informed  me  that  a  majority  of  those  which  are  now  Pres- 
byterian, were  originally  Congregational.  They  are  now 
all  Presbyterian  except  five. 

The  Presbytery  of  Buifalo  was  constituted  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Niagara  in  1822  or  23;  and  was  composed 
principally  of  Congregational  churches.  In  1831,  they  re- 
ported thirty-four  churches,  at  which  time  a  minister  who 
was  then  a  member,  has  informed  me,  there  were  not  more 
than  six  or  eight  Presbyterian  churches  in  the  Presbytery. 
The  same  minister,  at  my  request,  designated  the  churches 
(so  far  as  he  knew)  that  are  now  Congregational,  and  also 
those  that  are  Presbyterian.  He  named  twelve  of  the  for- 
mer and  eight  of  the  latter.  Of  the  remaining  twenty-three 
he  was  ignorant.  If  the  proportion  of  these  should  prove 
to  be  the  same  as  that  of  the  others,  there  are  seventeen 
Presbyterian  and  twenty-six  Congregational. 

The  Presbytery  of  Angelica  was  constituted  in  1828, 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Bath — and  had,  in  1829,  twelve 
churches.  It  then  belonged  to  the  Synod  of  Geneva  ;  but 
by  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly,  in  1834,  it  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Synod  of  Genesee.  According  to  their  last 
report  to  the  General  Assembly,  they  have  twenty  churches 

but  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  has  informed  me  that 

two  of  them  do  not  now  belong  to  the  Presbytery.  Ac- 
cording to  his  statement,  there  are  twelve  Presbyterian  and 
six  Congregational. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  whole : 

Niagara,      16  churches,  12  Presbyterian,  and  4  Congregational. 

Genesee,     26  churches,  20  Presbyterian,  and  G  Congregational. 

Rochester,  29  churches,  24  Presbyterian,  and  5  Congregational. 

Ontario,       24  churches,  18  Presbyterian,  and  6  Congregational. 

Buffalo,        43  churches,  17  Presbyterian,  and  26  Congregational. 

Angelica,     18  churches,  12  Presbyterian,  and  6  Congregational. 

Total,         156  churches,       103  Presbyterian,  and      53  Congregational. 

This  large  majority  of  churches  thus  presented,  which 
are  Presbyterially  organized,  I  am  obliged  to  say,  is  rather 
nominal  than  real.     There  are  not  by  any  means  (as  would 


25 

appear  from  this  exhibition)  one  hundred  and  three  Pres- 
byterian churches  organized  from  a  settled  preference 
among  the  members  generally,  for  this  mode  of  govern- 
ment, and  conducting  their  affairs  harmoniously  according 
to  Presbyterian  order.  One  of  the  most  important  churches 
in  the  Niagara  Presbytery,  I  have  been  told,  have  difficul- 
ties at  this  time,  growing  cut  of  their  church  organization. 
In  one  of  the  churches  in  Rochester  Presbytery,  so  large  a 
number  of  the  members  have  recently  seceded,  or  are  ex- 
pected to  do  it,  in  order  to  form  a  Congregational  churchy 
that  fears  are  entertained  that  they  will  be  nearly  broken 
up.  Concerning  the  Genesee  Presbytery  I  learned  still 
more.  One  church  that  was  originally  Presbyterian  has, 
on  account  of  dissatisfaction,  become  Congregational.  A 
second  have  changed  from  one  to  the  other  two  or  three 
times,  and  have  now  fixed  upon  the  plan  of  appointing  el- 
ders in  rotation,  a  part  of  the  eldership  going  out  every 
year.  A  third  pursue  the  same  course  with  the  last 
named  and  for  the  same  reasons.  A  fourth  are  expected 
soon  to  change  their  order  from  Presbyterian  to  Congre- 
gational. A  majority  of  the  churches  in  that  Presbytery, 
it  is  believed,  prefer  the  Congregational  mode  of  govern- 
ment— but  they  retain  the  Presbyterian  form,because, having 
once  adopted  it,  they  consent  to  yield  their  preferences  for 
the  sake  of  their  minister  and  the  few  in  the  church  who 
are  better  pleased  with  it. 

The  churches  formed  on  the  plan  of  union  are  not  all  of 
them  well  satisfied  with  their  connection.  At  a  late  meet- 
ing of  the  Ontario  Presbytery,  one  of  them  "  declared  off* — 
and  in  their  declaration  they  stated  they  had  reaped  no  es- 
sential benefit,  but  rather  the  contrary,  from  the  union." 
Several  churches  which  appear  from  the  Minutes  of  the 
Assembly  to  have  been  connected  a  few  years  ago  with 
the  Genesee  Presbytery,  are  now  (I  am  told)  independent. 
Dissatisfaction  has  frequently  been  felt  by  churches  formed 
on  the  plan  of  union,  because  the  Presbytery  had  taken  ex- 
ceptions to  their  proceedings,  and  in  some  cases  reversed 
4 


theii*  decisions.  They  knew  how  to  manage  their  own  af- 
fairs, they  thought,  independently  of  Presbytery,  and  did 
not  feel  willing  to  be  under  their  supervision  and  control. 
In  some  instances,  this  has  operated  to  make  them  stop 
sending  delegates  to  Presbytery  and  stand  entirely  aloof 
while  they  retained  a  nominal  connection — and  in  others 
it  has  resulted  in  their  declaring  themselves  independent,  or 
joining  an  Association. 

There  have  been  material  departures,  I  have  reason  to 
fear,  among  many  in  the  Synod  from  the  old  orthodox  doc- 
trines— and  this  has  been  accompanied,  in  some  instances, 
by  measures  of  a  very  doubtful  character,  and  in  others  by 
such  as  were  wild  and  extravagant.  A  member  of  the 
Buffalo  Presbytery  writes  thus:  "Ministers  and  churches  in 
this  section  have  become  so  much  disposed  to  favour  Ar- 
minian  doctrines,  and  are  so  fond  of  new  things,  that  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  preach  the  doctrines  of  our  Confession,  or  even  to 
use  our  endeavours  to  correct  abuses  and  extravagances  in 
measures,  without  hearing  the  cry  of  Old  School,  opposed 
to  revivals,"  &c.  That  Presbytery  adopted  some  time  ago 
a  set  of  articles  of  Faith  for  the  use  of  their  churches,  from 
which  almost  every  thing  distinguishing  is  excluded.  Among 
other  points  is  that  of  infant  baptism — and  hence,  in  prac- 
tice, it  is  left  optional  with  parents  to  have  their  children 
baptized  or  not,  just  as  they  please.  This  last  article  has 
been  erased  from  the  Confessions  of  several  of  the  churches 
in  Genesee  Presbytery — not,  however,  by  the  sanction  of 
the  Presbytery,  but  through  the  influence  of  one  of  their 
members. 

An  intelligent  and  pious  man  has  told  me  concerning  a 
minister  in  Niagara  Presbytery  under  whose  preaching  he 
sat  for  several  months,  that  he  had  heard  him  say  he  did 
not  believe  in  the  imputation  of  Adam's  sin  ;  and  on  one 
occasion  he  almost  ridiculed  the  idea  of  the  special  influ- 
ences of  the  Holy  Spirit.  At  a  protracted  meeting  last 
May,  in  one  of  the  churches  in  that  Presbytery,  the  offici- 
ating minister,  after  preaching  a  sermon  on  the  ability  of 
christians  to  keep  the  law  of  God,  called  upon  them  to 


27 

confess  their  sins  and  promise  to  keep  the  law.  Most  of 
them  were  willing  to  confess,  but  when  they  came  to  make 
promises,  there  was  a  reluctance ;  as  but  few  were  pre- 
pared to  fall  in  practically  with  the  doctrine  of  the  sermon. 
Some  said  we  will  try — others  that  we  will  endeavour  hy 
God's  assistance,  &:c. ;  but  this  did  not  satisfy  him — he 
called  it  antinomianism,  and  told  them  he  wished  them  to 
promise  not  that  they  would  try  to  keep  the  law,  but  that 
they  would  keep  it. 

One  of  the  ministers  in  Genesee  Presbytery  and  a  part 
of  his  church  are  perfectionists.  He  believes  it  to  be  es- 
sential to  a  man's  being  a  christian  that  he  be  perfect. 
When  a  clii'istian  sins,  he  "  wn-christians"  himself — and 
consequently  a  clmstian  remaining  such  cannot  commit 
sin.  He  also  behoves  in  miracles  and  prophecy,  and  has  a 
prophetess  in  his  house  for  whom  he  professes  to  entertain 
high  veneration.  It  is  due  to  the  Presbytery  to  say  that  he 
is  now  imder  process.  A  spice  of  perfectionism  is  found 
in  several  of  the  churches ;  which,  though  small,  (consisting 
generally  of  not  more  than  two  or  three  members,)  is 
enough  to  embitter  the  comfort  of  their  christian  brethren. 

In  relation  to  irregularities,  a  member  of  the  Rochester 
Presbytery  affirmed  publicly  at  their  meetmg  some  time 
last  summer,  that  there  was  but  one  thing  mentioned  of  this 
kind  on  the  floor  of  the  last  Assembly,  but  what  can  be 
proved  to  have  occurred  within  a  short  period  of  time  in 
the  bounds  of  the  Genesee  Synod.  Another  member  of 
the  same  Presbjtcry  in  private  conversation  corroborated 
his  statement — and  went  still  farther,  by  saying  that  ivorse 
things  had  occurred  there  than  any  which  were  alluded  to 
on  the  floor  of  the  Assembly.  As  the  result  of  this  state 
of  things,  ministerial  confidence  is  very  much  diminished, 
and  brethren  have  less  freedom  than  formerly  in  calluig  on 
each  other,  entering  into  conversation,  or  exchanging  pul- 
pits. They  suspect  that  they  do  not  agree,  and  hence  keep 
at  a  distance. 

Whether  all  the  Presbyteries  in  the  Synod  are  equally 
affected  with  the  leaven  of  false  doctrines  and  "  new  mea- 
sures," I  am  not  entirely  competent  to  judge  ;  as  my  inter- 


2S 

course  was  confined  principally  to  two  or  three  of  them. 
But  I  have  reason  to  think  that  in  some  there  is  more  or- 
thodoxy and  less  extravagance  than  in  others — and  per- 
haps in  all  of  them,  the  state  of  things  on  the  whole  is  be- 
coming better.  A  member  of  Ontario  Presbytery  writes, 
as  follows :  "New  Theology  and  new  measures  have  re- 
ceived a  number  of  checks  in  our  Presbytery,  and  indeed 
in  this  region  generally — especially  since  the  old  school  in 
the  Assembly  began  to  be  so  earnest  for  reform.  Though 
I  do  not  by  any  means  suppose  but  what  the  i^cots  of  the 
evil  remain  among  us  yet,  ready  to  spring  up  when  per- 
mitted. Indeed  in  one  sense,  almost  the  entire  theology  of 
this  whole  region  is  "  New,"  if  strictly  compared  with  our 
Standards — yet  not  in  the  sense  (as  I  suppose)  of  your  in- 
quiry. The  majority  of  our  Presbytery,  I  think,  are  sound 
according  to  the  New  England  system."  In  some  of  the 
Presbyteries,  the  people  (it  is  thought)  are  sounder  than  the 
ministers,  of  which  I  had  in  two  or  three  cases  ample  proof. 
Perhaps  this  may  be  regarded  as  a  favourable  circum- 
stance. Though  ministers  are  "  set  for  the  defence  of  the 
gospel,"  the  people  form  the  "  sacramental  host,"  and  will 
often  stand  firm  and  steadfast,  even  though  "  the  standard 
bearer  fainteth."  They  are  the  pillars  of  the  church,  which 
will  remain  unshaken,  though  the  priest  at  the  altar  should 
be  "  spoiled  through  philosophy  and  vain  deceit."  An  el- 
der, in  one  of  the  churches,  who  was  lately  charged  by  the 
congregation  with  the  duty  of  procuring  a  pastor,  on  being 
told  that  such  a  man  (a  member  of  the  Synod  and  also  of 
the  Auburn  Convention)  could  be  obtained,  said  he  should 
not  dare  propose  him  to  the  people,  because  he  was  so 
much  of  a  new  school  and  new  measure  man,  he  would 
not  answer.  We  believe  there  is  quite  a  number  of  such 
churches,  and  we  indulge  the  hope  that,  in  connection  with 
those  ministers  who  are  sound  in  the  faith,  they  will  exert 
a  redeeming  influence,  which  will  ere  long  restore  that 
whole  region  to  spiritual  health  and  prosperity. 


29 


§ynod  of  t!ie  Western  Reserve. 

Though  I  did  not  travel  in  the  bounds  of  that  Synod,  I 
have  obtained,  from  sources  entitled  to  credit,  some  infor- 
mation which  I  will  communicate.  The  history  of  the  for- 
mation of  that  Synod,  according  to  a  letter  from  one  of  its 
members,  the  Rev.  J.  Seward,  as  published  in  the  Ohio  Ob- 
server, is  as  follows :  "  The  Presbytery  of  Grand  River, 
agreeably  to  the  order  of  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh,  was  or- 
ganized in  the  autumn  of  1814,  and  as  it  covered  ^^ round  on 
which  a  union  had  been  established  between  Presbyterians 
and  Congregationalists,  according  to  regulations  adopted  by 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  it  was 
deemed  necessary  that  this  Presbytery  should  be  so  organ- 
ized as  to  consolidate  and  perpetuate  this  union,  and  thus 
carry  out  the  recommendations  and  injunctions  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly.  To  accomplish  this  object,  a  number  of  ar- 
ticles, adapted  to  the  peculiar  situation  of  the  churches  in 
this  region,  was  adopted  by  this  Presbyter)^  and  afterwards 
by  the  Presbyteries  of  Portage  and  Huron,  as  they  were 
respectively  organized.  The  design  of  these  articles  was 
to  secure  to  all  connected  with  these  Presbyteries,  the  rights 
and  privileges  pledged  in  the  regulations  adopted  by  the 
General  Assembly  and  the  General  Association  in  1801. 
As  the  Congregationalists  had  from  their  childhood  been  in- 
structed in  the  Westminster  Assembly's  Shorter  Catechism, 
and  as  this  was  the  basis  of  the  Presb^ierian  Confession  of 
Faith,  they  had  no  material  difficulty  in  coming  together  on 
the  distinguishing  doctrines  of  the  christian  religion  as  em- 
braced in  the  Calvinistic  system.  Nor  had  they  any  objec- 
tion to  the  discipline  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  so  far  as 
it  was  applicable  to  them  in  their  peculiar  situation.  Hence, 
in  their  preamble  to  their  constitution,  they  express  their 
approbation  of  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  Discipline  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States  of  America ;  and  in  the  articles  of  the  constitution 
there  is  nothing  which  does  not  perfectly  harmonize  with 
the  standards  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  excepting  those 


particulars  which  are  designed  to  carry  out  the  principles  of 
the  plan  of  union,  to  which  allusion  has  so  often  been  made. 
The  distinguishing  particular  of  this  description  was,  that  in- 
dividual ministers  and  churches  may  adopt  either  the  Con- 
gregational or  Presbyterian  mode  of  government  and  disci- 
pline, and  that  this  article  shall  never  be  atfected  by  any 
additions  or  alterations  which  these  regulations  may  receive. 
Here  is  the  grand  charter  of  the  contract  to  perpetuate  the 
plan  of  union.  The  ministers  and  churches  forming  these 
new  Presbyteries  supposed  that  they  were  bound  to  make 
this  covenant  with  each  other,  by  the  express  direction  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  They 
made  it.  They  inserted  it  prominently  in  their  books  of 
records.  The  records  of  the  Presbytery  of  Grand  River, 
containing  this  contract,  were  presented  to  the  Synod  of 
Pittsburgh,  at  their  meeting  in  1815,  for  examination.  The 
peculiar  circumstances  of  the  Presbytery  being  understood, 
a  committee  of  the  most  wise  and  judicious  members  were 
appointed  to  examine  the  records.  The  committee  reported 
and  the  records  were  approved.  Thus  did  the  Synod  of 
Pittsburgh  ratify  and  confirm,  in  1815,  the  covenant  pro- 
posed and  adopted  by  the  General  Assembly  in  1801,  and 
which  had  been  in  successful  operation  in  the  new  settle- 
ments for  the  period  of  14  years.  In  1819  the  records  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Portage,  and  in  1824  the  records  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Huron,  each  containing  the  same  contract,  went 
through  with  a  similar  process  and  were  approved  by  the 
Synod  of  Pittsburgh.  The  time  at  which  these  records  were 
approved  w' as  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Synod  after  the 
formation  of  the  respective  Presbyteries  of  Grand  River, 
Portage  and  Huron.  At  a  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly 
in  1825,  a  petition  was  presented  for  a  division  of  the  Synod 
of  Pittsburgh,  and  the  erection  of  anew  Synod,  to  be  com- 
posed of  the  three  Presbyteries  above  named,  and  to  be 
known  by  the  name  of  the  Synod  of  the  Western  Reserve. 
This  request  was  granted,  and  in  compliance  with  the  order 
of  the  General  Assembly,  the  Synod  of  the  Western  Reserve 
v/as  organized  at  Hudson,  Sept.  27,  1825." 


31 

From  the  above  it  will  be  perceived,  that  the  three  Pres- 
byteries of  which  this  Synod  was  composed,  were  formed 
explicitly  on  the  plan  of  union.  Had  it  not  been  for  that 
plan,  neither  they  nor  the  Synod  could  have  been  organized. 

In  addition  to  the  facts  here  stated,  we  have  obtained  from 
several  individuals,  who  either  reside  or  have  resided  on  the 
Reserve,  the  following : 

1 .  When  the  Synod  was  constituted,  there  was  not  prob- 
ably a  single  Presbyterian  church  in  the  three  Presbyteries 
of  which  it  was  composed. 

2.  There  are  at  present  in  the  Synod,  according  to  a 
statement  made  at  the  Auburn  Convention,  31  Presbyterian 
churches — and  in  summing  up  the  details  which  I  have  ob- 
tained from  other  sources,  that  statement  is  nearly  correct. 
A  person  who  has  been  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Grand  River,  expressed  to  me  a  doubt  whether  there  was  at 
this  time  a  single  Presbyterian  church  in  the  Presbytery.  It 
was  stated  on  the  floor  of  the  last  Assembly,  by  members  of 
that  Synod,  that  there  was  but  one  Presbyterian  church  in 
Trumbull  Presbytery,  one  in  Lorain,  and  one,  I  think,  in 
Medina.  But  as  the  stated  clerk  of  the  Synod  affirmed  at 
the  Auburn  Convention,  that  there  was  no  Presbytery  in  the 
Synod  but  what  had  at  least  two  Presbyterian  churches,  we 
shall  give  to  those  Presbyteries  two  each ;  and  then  the  re- 
sult, as  nearly  as  I  am  able  to  ascertain,  will  be  as  follows : 

Grand  River,  35  churches,  2  Pres'iyterian  and  33  Congregational. 

Portage,  24  churches,  3  Presbyterian  and  21  Congregational. 

Huron,  25  churches,  15  Presbyterian  and  10  Congregational. 

Maumee,  8  churches,  2  Presbyterian  and  6  Congregational. 

Trumbull,  18  shurches,  2  Presbyterian  and  16  Congregational. 

Lorain,  12  churches,  2  Presbyterian  and  10  Congregational. 

Cleveland,  10  churches,  4  Presbyterian  and  6  Congregational. 

Medina,  13  churches,  2  Presbyterian  and  11  Congregational. 

Total,  145  churches,  32  Presbyterian  and  113  Congregational. 

As  there  are  no  reports  for  1837  from  the  Presbyteries  of 
Trumbull  and  Lorain,  they  may  have  lost  some  of  their 
churches  or  received  some  during  the  last  year,  which  would 
alter  the  aggregate  number  of  churches  ;  but  we  presume 
the  above  does  not  vary  very  materially  from  the  truth. 


32 

3.  The  prevailing  feelings  among  the  people  are  decidedly 
in  favor  of  Congregationalism.  A  few  years  ago  a  commis- 
sioner from  the  Reserve  to  the  General  Assembly  stated,  on 
the  floor  of  the  Assembly,  that  the  churches  there,  if  kindly 
treated,  vv^ould  soon  become  fully  Presbyterian.  When  the 
report  of  his  speech  reached  those  churches  they  were  much 
displeased,  and  many  letters  were  written  to  him  from  vari- 
ous quarters,  complaining  that  he  had  misrepresented  them. 
If  they  had  their  choice,  uninfluenced  by  their  ministers,  a 
large  majority  of  them,  it  is  believed,  would  join  a  Congre- 
gational Association.  But  their  ministers,  knowing  their 
great  partiality  for  Congregationalism,  dispense  with  as 
much  of  the  forms  of  the  Presbyterian  government  as  pos- 
sible, and  by  this  means  prevent  them  from  going  off' — tell-' 
ing  them,  at  the  same  time,  that  if  they  will  hold  on  a  little 
longer,  the  time  may  come  when  an  Association  can  be 
formed. 

After  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1835,  a  plan 
was  drawn  up,  by  several  ministers,  to  change  the  order  of 
the  church,  and  a  convention  was  called  for  that  purpose  ; 
but  through  the  influence  of  Dr.  Beecher  and  others  it  was 
deferred.  In  the  fall  of  183G  another  convention  was  call- 
ed for  the  same  purpose,  and  an  Association  was  formed — 
but  not  without  considerable  opposition  from  a  number  of 
ministers  who  were  present.  One  of  them  opposed  it  for 
the  following  reason,  viz.  that  if  they  would  put  it  off'  one 
year  more,  the  new  school  would  have  the  majority  in  the 
General  Assembly;  in  which  case  the  old  school  would 
probably  secede,  and  then  they  would  have  the  ground.* 
But  their  remonstrances  did  not  avail.  Several  laymen 
stated  in  reply,  that  when  their  churches  were  organized  on 
the  accommodation  plan,  it  was  understood  to  be  tempora- 
ry— that  after  the  country  became  more  populous  they  were 
to  have  their  Associations,  as  they  had  been  accustomed  to 
in  New-England. 

*  This  minister  was  a  member  of  the  Auburn  Convention,  and  advocated 
sending  up  commissioners  to  the  General  Assembly  "  to  fight  every  inch  of 
ground." 


33 

When  the  news  of  the  proceedings  of  the  last  Assembly 
reached  the  Reserve,  some  of  the  ministers  thought  they 
ought  to  attempt  nothing  more,  but  organize  a  Congrega- 
tional Association.  The  Ohio  Observer  came  out  to  this 
effect ;  but  letters  from  New-York  and  Philadelphia  changed 
their  minds.  The  churches,  it  is  believed,  would  generally 
be  in  favor  of  such  a  measure. 

4.  A  few  years  ago,  Congregational  ministers  were  fre- 
quently received  into  their  Presbyteries,  at  least  into  some 
of  them,  without  answering  the  constitutional  questions ; 
but  of  late,  since  the  practice  was  censured  by  the  General 
Assembly,  the  constitutional  questions  have  generally,  and 
perhaps  always,  been  propounded. 

5.  A  few  years  ago,  after  the  Assembly  had  passed  a  res- 
olution refusing  to  receive  committee  men  as  commission- 
ers, the  Presbytery  of  Grand  River,  in  order  to  have  a  lay 
representation  whose  seat  would  not  be  disputed,  appointed 
a  man  who  had  been  a  ruling  elder  in  the  state  of  N.  York, 
(my  informant  thinks  at  Troy,)  though  he  was  then,  at  the  time 
of  his  appointment,  a  member  of  a  Congregational  church. 

6.  A  majority  of  the  ministers,  and  of  the  members  in 
most  of  the  churches,  accord  in  doctrines  and  measures  with 
Mr.  Finney.  This  is  inferred,  concerning  the  ministers,  from 
the  fact,  that  about  two  years  ago  a  paper  was  signed,  by 
fifty  ministers  or  more,  inviting  Mr.  Finney  to  become  Pro- 
fessor of  Theology  in  the  Western  Reserve  College ;  and 
concerning  ministers  and  people  both  it  may  be  inferred 
from  the  fact,  that  Mr.  Lucius  Foote  has  attended  protracted 
meetings  pretty  extensively  on  the  Reserve,  and  was  gene- 
rally approved  by  the  ministers  and  churches,  though  there 
were  some  exceptions.  Mr.  Foote,  it  is  said,  agrees  sub- 
stantially with  Mr.  Finney,  but  goes  farther  than  the  latter 
in  some  points,  from  what  is  called  old  school  theology. 

7.  A  gentleman  who  lived  a  number  of  years  on  the  Re- 
serve has  informed  me,  that  he  frequently  heard  it  spoken 
of  among  the  ministers,  that  they  are  reforming  the  Presby- 
terian church,  working  out  the  old  leaven,  &c.  and  that  in 
a  few  years  more  they  will  succeed. 


34 


CONCLUDING  OBSERVATIONS. 

As  the  object  which  we  have  in  view  in  making  the  pre- 
ceding statements  is  to  enable  the  churches  to  judge  how 
far  the  acts  of  the  last  General  Assembly  can  be  justified, 
we  shall  now  make  some  remarks  on  this  point. 

1.  It  is  notorious  that  errors  and  irregularities  of  an  alarm- 
ing character  have  prevailed  in  those  Synods  for  8  or  10 
years  past.  This  is  strongly  confirmed  by  the  facts  which 
we  have  stated  above,  and  by  the  admissions  of  various  in- 
dividuals residing  in  their  bounds. 

2.  These  errors  and  irregularities  have  obtained  such  an 
influence,  and  are  extended  over  so  large  a  territory,  that 
taken  in  connection  with  the  sympathy  which  is  felt  for 
them  in  some  other  sections  of  the  church,  it  is  exceedingly 
difficult  to  rectify  them  by  ordinary  process.  This  position 
we  believe  will  be  denied  by  few  who  have  noticed  the  pro- 
gress of  events  as  they  have  occurred  in  our  church  for  a 
few  years  past. 

3.  The  abrogation  of  the  plan  of  union  opened  a  door,  it 
was  thought,  for  reaching  the  evils,  both  easy  and  effective  ; 
and  hence  the  Assembly  resorted  to  this  course.  The  pro- 
priety of  this  measure,  and  its  application  to  these  Synods, 
are  the  points  at  issue  between  the  two  parties. 

Concerning  the  measure  itself,  viz.  the  abrogation  of  the 
plan  of  union,  we  wish  to  correct  two  or  three  mistakes 
which  appear  to  be  current  in  regard  to  it. 

1.  It  has  been  often  asserted,  and  is  extensively  believed, 
that  the  General  Assembly  proposed  the  plan.  From  Dr. 
McAuley's  speech  on  this  subject,  in  the  last  Assembly,  it 
would  seom  our  Connecticut  brethren  themselves  are  un- 
der this  impression.  But  whoever  entertains  such  a  belief 
is  labouring  under  a  mistake.  It  has  doubtless  arisen  from 
the  fact  that  the  only  authority  which  has  been  relied  upon 
for  the  history  of  the  affair,  is  the  Assembly's  Digest,  which 


35 

unfortunately  contains  only  a  part  of  the  record.  A  recur- 
rence to  the  Minutes  of  the  Assembly  for  1800  and  1801, 
will  show  that  the  plan  was  proposed  by  the  General  Asso- 
ciation of  Connecticut,  and  not  by  the  General  Assembly. 

In  the  Minutes  for  1800  is  the  following :  "  The  Rev. 
Dr.  Jonathan  Edwards,  the  Rev.  Asa  Hylliar  and  Jonathan 
Freeman  were  appointed  delegates  from  this  Assembly  to 
the  General  Association  of  Connecticut,"  &c.  Not  a  word 
is  said  about  instructing  them  to  negotiate  a  plan  of  union. 
In  the  Minutes  of  1801  we  find  their  report  as  follows : 
"  The  delegates  from  the  General  Assembly  to  the  General 
Association  of  Connecticut  report,  that  they  have  attended 
according  to  appointment  through  the  whole  course  of  the 
sessions  of  the  General  Association.  That  besides  the  busi- 
ness peculiar  to  the  churches  of  Connecticut,  the  General 
Association  appointed  a  committee  to  confer  icith  a  committee 
that  may  he  appointed  hy  the  General  Assembly,  on  measures 
ichich  may  promote  union  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  new 
settlements  and  the  missionaries  to  those  settlements,  as  ap- 
pears hy  the  inclosed  paper ^ 

Immediately  after  the  committee  had  reported,  the  paper 
referred  to  above  was  read  ;  the  minute  concerning  which 
is  as  follows  :  "  A  communication  was  read  from  the  Gen- 
eral Association  of  the  state  of  Connecticut,  appointing  a 
committee  to  confer  with  a  committee  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  to  consider  the  measures  proper  to  be  adopted  by 
the  General  Association  and  the  General  Assembly  for  es- 
tablishing a  uniform  system  of  church  government  between 
the  inhabitants  of  the  new  settlements  who  are  attached  to 
the  Presbyterian  form  of  government,  and  those  who  prefer 
the  Congregational  form.  Ordered  that  the  said  communi- 
cation lie  on  the  table.  Succeeding  this,  on  the  same  page, 
is  the  following  :  "  The  Rsv.  Dr.  Edwards,  McKnight  and 
Woodhull,  the  Rev.  Pvlr.  Blatchford  and  Mr.  Ilutton  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  consider  and  digest  a  plan  of  gov- 
ernment for  the  churches  in  the  new  settlements,  agreeably 
to  the  proposal  of  the  General  Association  of  Connecticut,  and 
report  the  same  as  soon   as  convenient."     Then  follows 


36 

the  report  of  this  committee,  as  contained  in  the  Digest, 
page  297. 

2.  It  has  been  often  affirmed,  that  during  the  whole  pe- 
riod of  36  years  in  which  this  plan  has  been  in  operation, 
no  objection  has  been  made  to  it ;  and  that  consequently  it 
is  to  be  considered  as  having  received  during  this  long  pe- 
riod the  silent  approbation  of  the  whole  church.  But  this 
is  a  mistake.  First,  it  is  not  true,  in  the  sense  intended  by 
those  who  revert  to  it,  that  the  plan  has  been  in  operation 
for  so  long  a  time.  I  mean  in  such  a  sense  as  to  give  to  the 
fact  that  force  which  it  is  supposed  to  have  in  determining 
its  validity.  For  10  or  12  years  after  it  was  formed,  its  in- 
fluence upon  the  church  was  scarcely  felt ;  and  for  as  many 
more,  the  evils  growing  out  of  it  had  not  developed  them- 
selves as  they  have  since  that  time.  The  plan  was  origi- 
nally intended  not  as  the  medium  through  which  Congrega- 
tionalism would  be  perpetuated  in  the  Presbyterian  church ; 
but  to  give  opportunity  for  Congregationalists  (if  after  learn- 
ing the  character  of  our  system  they  approved  of  it)  to  be- 
come Presbyterian.  This  remark  applies  to  both  parties  in 
the  arrangement.  The  ministers  of  Connecticut  were  fa- 
vourable to  the  Presbyterian  form  of  government ;  one  fea- 
ture of  it  was  already  in  existence  in  their  churches,  and 
they  felt  willing  (not  to  say  desirous)  to  have  their  people  who 
should  emigrate  to  other  states  become  Presbyterian.  This 
idea,  we  think,  is  clearly  implied  in  the  account  which  Dr. 
McAuley  gives  of  the  interview  of  the  committee  of  the 
Assembly  with  a  committee  of  the  Association,  in  1826. 
"As  to  the  union,  they  had  said  that  it  had  not  been  gone 
into  for  their  accommodation,  but  for  ours ;  that  they  had 
agreed  to  it  for  two  reasons  :  first,  because  it  was  a  help  to 
many  New-England  people  in  the  infant  settlements  towards 
obtaining  gospel  ordinances  ;  and  secondly,  because  it  as- 
sisted the  Assembly  in  sjjreading  Presbyterianism  through 
that  region."  But  instead  of  spreading  Presbyterianism,  it 
has,  in  a  large  number  of  cases,  spread  Congregationalism 
under  the  Presbyterian  name.  Presbyteries  have  not  only 
been  formed  of  Congregational  materials,  but  with  an  ex- 


37 

press  stipulation  that  they  might  always  remain  so,  and  3'et 
continue  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  And  then,  by  such 
a  construction  of  the  plan  of  union  as  was  never  intended 
by  the  original  framers,  they  claimed  the  right  of  sending 
commissioners,  who  were  not  ruHng  elders  to  the  General 
Assembly.  This  is  the  point  of  time  at  which  the  plan 
ought  to  be  dated,  if  it  is  designed  to  have  any  bearing  on 
the  constitutional  question  ;  because  at  this  time,  and  not 
before,  were  its  effects  upon  our  church  order  fully  mani- 
fest ;  and  this  would  be  not  36  years  ago,  but  less  than  20. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  say,  secondly,  that  as  soon  as 
these  effects  of  the  plan  of  union  were  perceived,  objections 
began  to  be  made  to  it,  and  they  have  been  repeated  at 
different  times,  and  in  one  form  or  another,  ever  since.  In 
1826,  a  commissioner  from  the  Rochester  Presbytery  was 
received  by  the  Assembly,  who  was  not  a  ruling  elder ;  but 
a  protest  was  immediately  entered  against  it,  signed  by 
forty-two  members.  The  same  year,  as  appears  from  Dr. 
M'Auley's  speech  in  the  last  Assembly,  which  we  have  quo- 
ted above,  the  committee  from  the  Assembly  to  meet  a  sim- 
ilar committee  from  the  Association  of  Connecticut,  brought 
up  this  subject,  iii  connection  with  that  for  which  they  were 
especially  appointed.  The  particulars  he  does  not  give  us, 
but  we  cannot  perceive  why  it  should  have  come  up  at  all, 
except  because  it  was  a  kindred  topic  to  that  for  the  con- 
sideration of  which  they  had  been  appointed,  viz.  the  prac- 
tice of  allowing  their  delegates  to  vote  in  the  General  As- 
sembly ;  and  because  dissatisfaction  with  the  one,  necessarily 
imphed  dissatisfaction  with  the  other.  And  it  would  seem, 
from  the  remarks  of  the  committee  of  the  Association,  that 
they  did  so  consider  it.  Their  remarks  appear  to  be  a  re- 
ply to  some  complaint  in  regard  to  its  operation  which  fell 
from  the  committee  of  the  Assembly. 

In  1831  a  committee-man  was  received  by  the  Assembly 
as  a  commissioner  from  Grand  River  Presbytery  ;  against 
which  a  protest  was  entered,  signed  by  67  members.  A 
part  of  this  protest  we  shall  transcribe.  "  The  articles  of 
agreement  alluded  to  in  the  begiiming  of  this  paper,"  say 


3S 

they,  referring  to  the  plan  of  union  of  1801,  "are  supposed 
to  give  this  individual,  and  all  others  similarly  situated,  a 
seat  in  this  assembly.  That  agreement  is  altogether  anom- 
alous to  our  form  of  government,  and,  so  far  as  it  does  ex- 
tend, is  in  derogation  of  it."  .  .  .  .  "  Those  articles  can  never 
cover  this  case,  because  they  expressly  stipulate  the  church 
session  and  Presbytery,  as  the  church  courts  to  which  these 
"  committee  men"  may  have  access  in  the  character  of  rul- 
ing elders,  and  mention  no  others.  As  the  grant  was  in  dero- 
gation of  the  rights  of  the  eldership,  and  adverse  to  the  nature 
of  our  church  government,  it  is  manifestly  just  such  a  grant 
as,  if  valid  at  all,  could  only  be  so  within  the  strict  import 
of  its  own  terms.  We  do  not  feel  called  on  to  discuss  the 
fact,  whether  those  articles,  thus  interpreted,  are  constitu- 
tional or  not.  If,  however,  they  are  so  construed  as  to  place 
members  here,  who  are,  by  our  constitution,  forbidden  to 
be  here,  or  as  in  any  degree  to  affect  the  principles  of  the 
organization  of  this  house,  as  clearly  defined  in  our  books, 
then  it  is  manifest  that  the  articles  must  be  considered  ut- 
terly null  and  towZ."  The  answer  of  the  Assembly  to  this 
protest,  (drawn  up  by  a  member  from  the  Western  Re- 
serve,) contains  the  following :  "  The  conventional  agree- 
ment, or  treaty,  above  referred  to,  (meaning  the  plan  of 
union,)  expressly  provides  that  laymen,  of  the  character 
there  contemplated,  shall  be  admitted  to  the  Presbyteries 
on  an  equality  with  elders.  If  therefore  there  is,  in  con- 
nection with  this  subject,  an  infraction  of  the  Constitution,  it 
is  in  the  treaty  itself,  and  the  only  proper  remedy  for  the 
supposed  evil  would  he  found  in  a  regular  jjroceeding  to 
amend  or  annul  the  said  treaty" 

But  though  the  Assembly  received  the  commissioner 
above  referred  to,  they  adopted  a  resolution  that  "  the  ap- 
pointment, by  some  Presbyteries,  as  has  occurred  in  a  few 
cases,  of  members  of  standing  committees  to  be  members 
of  General  Assembly,  is  inexpedient,  and  of  questionable 
constitutionality,  and  therefore  ought  not,  in  future,  to  be 
made :"  yet  the  very  next  year,  that  same  Presbytery  dele- 
gated two  committee  men  as  commissioners  to  the  Assembly ; 


39 

but  their  commissions,  after  having  been  placed  in  the  hands 
of  a  committee,  were  withdrawn.  At  the  same  meeting 
there  was  a  commissioner  from  a  Presbytery  in  Westei'n 
New- York,  who  was  neither  an  elder  nor  a  committee  man : 
but  being  commissioned  as  an  elder,  and  no  body  present 
being  acquainted  with  the  circumstance,  he  was  received 
as  a  member.  The  next  year  a  committee  man  appeared 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Oswego,  and  would  have  been  re- 
ceived, (as  his  commission  did  not  specify  his  true  charac- 
ter) ;  but  one  of  the  members,  who  had  incidentally  become 
acquainted  with  the  fact,  made  it  known  to  the  house ; 
when  leave  was  given  him  to  withdraw  his  commission. 
These  facts  show  with  what  tenacity  those  Presbyteries 
which  were  formed  in  pursuance  of  the  plan  of  union,  ad- 
hered to  the  practice  of  sending  up  commissioners,  even  af- 
ter the  Assembly  had  adopted  a  resolution  against  it ;  and 
the  course  which  the  Assembly  pursued,  in  regard  to  them, 
was  an  expression  of  disapprobation  against  their  interpre- 
tation of  the  plan,  if  not  against  the  plan  itself.  In  1835, 
the  Assembly  resolved  that  no  more  churches  should  be  or- 
ganized on  the  plan  of  union  ;  and  in  1837  the  plan  was  ab- 
rogated. Thus  for  1 1  years  previous  to  this  last  act,  there 
was  evidently  a  growing  dissatisfaction  with  the  manner  in 
which  the  plan  of  union  was  found  to  operate  ;  its  constitu- 
tionality was  more  than  once  called  in  question,  and  intima- 
tions were  given,  in  no  doubtful  language,  that  the  Assem- 
bly ought  either  to  "  amend  or  annul"  it. 

3.  In  connection  with  these  facts,  let  it  be  remembered 
that  the  churches  formed  on  the  plan  of  union  had  become 
very  numerous — that  their  feelings  and  policy  were  at  va- 
riance with  strict  Presbyterial  order — that  in  many  instances, 
doctrines  were  held  which  are  inconsistent  with  our  Stand- 
ards,— and  that,  claiming  a  right,  from  the  provisions  of  the 
plan,  to  be  represented  in  the  General  Assembly,  they  had 
well  nigh  obtained  an  ascendancy  in  that  body,  and  were 
rapidly  bringing  about  a  revolution  in  the  church.  Under 
such  circumstances,  it  appears  to  me,  that  if  an  act  of  this 
kind  could  ever  be  justified,  the  Assembly  ought  to  be  sus- 


40 

tained.  In  the  speech  of  Dr.  M' Auley,  before  referred  to, 
he  says,  "he  readily  conceded  that  the  plan  was  extra- 
constitutional.  The  wonder  was,  that  it  ever  should  have 
been  considered  as  otherwise ;  but  those  who  entered  into 
the  arrangement  considered  the  necessity  of  the  case  as  aris- 
ing above  the  constitution."  If  the  necessity  of  the  case  was 
Sufficient  to  justify  the  forming  of  this  union,  even  though 
it  is  acknowledged  to  have  been  extr-a-constitutional,  the  ne- 
cessity of  the  case  will  now  justify  its  abrogation  ;  espe- 
cially as  the  act,  so  far  from  being  "  extra-constitutional," 
was  imperiously  demanded  on  constitutional  gi'ounds. 

4.  It  is  said,  by  those  who  are  opposed  to  the  measure, 
that  the  Assembly  were  bound,  before  passing  such  an  act, 
to  ask  the  consent  of  the  other  contracting  party ;  meaning 
either  the  General  Association  of  Connecticut  or  the  church- 
es formed  on  the  plan  of  union.  Were  they  bound  to  ask 
the  consent  of  the  Association  ?  For  an  answer  to  this  ques- 
tion, we  refer  the  reader  to  the  opinion  of  G.  Wood,  Esq., 
as  published  in  the  New  York  Obsei-ver.  "  I  do  not  think 
that  this  plan  of  union  formed,  or  was  the  result  of  a  compact 
between  the  General  Assembly  and  the  Association  of  Con- 
necticut, so  as  to  render  it  obligatory  upon  the  General  As- 
sembly to  carry  into  effect  the  measure,  or  to  continue  its 
operation  any  longer  than  they  should  deem  proper.".  .  . ."  It 
may  be  questioned  whether  the  assent  of  the  Association 
to  the  adoption  by  the  Assembly  of  this  plan  was  necessa- 
ry. The  Congregationalists  to  be  affected  by  this  plan  were 
out  of  the  jurisdiction  of  that  Association,  and  beyond  their 
control ;  but  they  no  doubt  felt  themselves  under  a  moral 
influence,  which  rendered  it  a  matter  of  delicacy  and  expe- 
diency on  the  part  of  the  General  Assembly,  to  obtain  the 
assent  of  that  Association.  But  supposing  the  assent  of  the 
Association  to  have  been  indispensable  ;  when  it  was  given^ 
they  had  nothing  further  to  do  with  the  plan.  It  then  be- 
came the  measure  of  the  General  Assembly  alone,  to  be 
dropped,  or  acted  upon,  or  modified  as  they  should  deem 
advisable."  If  this  opinion  be  correct,  then  the  churches 
alone,  if  any  body,  were  the  party  to  be  consulted.     On 


41 

this  point  \Te  have  only  to  observe,  that  if  there  is  obliga- 
tion on  either  side  to  ask  the  consent  of  the  other  before 
the  connection  might  be  dissolved,  this  obligation  must  be 
equally  binding  upon  both.  But  have  the  churches  ever 
felt  any  obligation  of  this  kind  ?  Have  they  not  always  con- 
sidered it  as  optional  with  them  whether  they  continued 
their  connection  with  the  Presbyterian  church  or  not  ?  and 
have  they  not  always  acted  on  the  principle,  that  whenever 
they  believed  it  to  be  more  for  their  advantage  to  become 
independent  or  to  join  an  Association,  they  were  at  liberty 
to  take  such  a  step,  without  asking  the  consent  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  ?  As  a  matter  of  courtesy,  they  have  gene- 
rally notified  the  Presbytery  to  which  they  belonged,  that 
they  were  about  to  change  their  ecclesiastical  connection ; 
but  not  from  a  belief  of  the  existence  of  any  contract  with 
the  Presbytery  which  obliged  them  to  do  so  ;  and  it  has 
frequently  happened  that  the  Presbyteries  have  had  no 
knowledge  of  their  intention  until  after  the  formation  of 
their  new  alliances.  If,  therefore,  the  churches  formed  on 
the  plan  of  union  have  not  understood  the  plan  to  involve 
any  obligation  upon  themselves  of  the  kind  supposed,  it 
would  be  unreasonable  in  them  to  maintain  that  any  such 
obligation  rests  upon  the  Assembly,  or  to  expect  that  any 
overture  should  be  made  to  them  by  the  Assembly,  asking 
their  consent  for  a  dissolution  of  the  union. 

It  remains  now  to  inquire  whether  the  Assembly,  after 
having  abrogated  the  plan  of  union,  can  be  justified  in  ap- 
plying the  act,  in  the  manner  they  did,  to  these  four  Synods. 
In  relation  to  this,  we  remark, 

1.  That  it  was  anticipated  by  the  opposers  of  the  mea- 
sure, that  the  eflTect  of  the  vote  abrogating  the  plan  of  union, 
would  be  restrospective.  For  proof  of  this  we  refer  again 
to  Dr.  M'Auley's  speech  in  the  last  Assembly.  He  said, 
"  he  had  no  desire  to  see  this  accommodation  plan  perpet- 
uated, or  even  continued  for  many  years ;  but  he  had  a 
strong  fellow-feeling  with  those  churches  who  were  affected 
by  its  abrogation."  ....'■'  If,  indeed,  he  could  be  assured 
C 


42 

that  the  churches  in  question  would  not  be  broken  up  and 
scattered  to  the  four  winds,  he  would  willingly  enter  on  the 
measure  proposed ;  for  he  wished  at  some  time  to  see  an 
end  of  the  plan.  He  hoped  that,  at  any  rate,  ample  time 
would  be  allowed  them  finally  to  decide  upon  their  eccle- 
siastical relations  ;  and  if  this  had  formed  a  part  of  the  plan, 
he  should  have  made  no  opposition  to  it."  On  what  prin- 
ciple were  these  remarks  made  ?  Clearly  on  this,  that  un- 
less special  provision  was  made  by  the  Assembly,  modify- 
ing and  restricting  the  act  so  as  to  prevent  its  taking  effect 
immediately,  upon  the  churches  already  formed  on  this 
plan,  he  expected  that  such  would  be  the  result. 

2.  While  we  are  willing  to  admit  there  are  difficulties  in 
applying  the  act  according  to  any  method  which  we  have 
heard  proposed,  including  the  one  adopted  by  the  Assem- 
bly, we  think  the  latter  on  the  whole  less  liable  to  objec- 
tion than  any  other.  If  these  various  measures  were  now 
before  the  church  for  consideration  with  a  view  to  the  fu- 
ture adoption  of  one  of  them,  we  should  feel  ourselves 
called  upon  in  the  discussion  of  the  subject  to  notice  them 
severally  in  their  order,  and  examine  their  relative  propri- 
ety ;  but  as  this  is  not  the  case,  we  shall  simply  consider  a 
few  things  in  regard  to  the  measure  which  has  been  adopt- 
ed— reverting  to  some  of  the  others  incidentally  as  far  as 
they  may  be  involved  in  the  discussion  of  this. 

It  will  not  be  denied  by  any  acquainted  with  our  Consti- 
tution, that  the  most  legitimate  mode  for  the  Assembly  to 
act  upon  the  churches  is  through  the  Synods.  Suppose,  in 
the  case  under  consideration,  they  had  attempted  to  act  up- 
on the  Presbyteries,  or  (as  some  believe  they  ought  to  have 
done)  directly  upon  the  churches.  In  the  former  case  it 
might  have  been  said,  they  had  assumed  the  prerogatives 
of  the  Synod,  and  in  the  latter  that  they  had  taken  into 
their  hands  a  work  which  belongs  exclusively  to  the  Pres- 
byteries. Those  very  individuals  who  now  oppose  the 
measures  of  the  Assembly,  would  have  objected  with  as 
much  earnestness,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  to  the  other 
course.     They  have  virtually  objected  to  it  already  in  se- 


43 

veral  of  the  Presbyteries  by  the  adoption  of  resolutions, 
"  assuring  the  churches  under  their  care,  that  the  plan  of 
union,  so  far  as  they  are  concerned,  is  still  in  force,  and  its 
stipulations  will  be  preserved  by  them  inviolate." 

It  is  urged  against  the  application  of  the  vote  to  Sj/7iods, 
that  those  bodies,  as  such,  could  not  have  been  formed  on 
the  plan  of  union,  but  were  regularly  constituted  according 
to  the  directions  of  the  Book ;  and  therefore  they  cannot 
be  affected  by  the  abrogation  of  the  plan.  As  to  the  man- 
ner in  which  Synods  are  brought  into  existence,  we  admit 
that  all  of  them,  except  the  first,  must  necessarily  be  or- 
ganized alike,  viz.  by  the  division  of  other  Synods — and 
agam,  that  they  all  must  necessarily  be  alike  in  being  com- 
posed of  at  least  three  Presbyteries.  But  suppose  one  or 
two  of  the  three  Presbyteries  of  which  a  particular  Synod 
is  composed,  though  they  bear  the  name  of  Presbyteries, 
are  in  reality  Congregational  Associations ;  would  the 
Synod  in  this  case  be  regularly  constituted  1  Or  suppose 
the  Presbyteries  generally  of  which  it  is  composed,  though 
consisting  in  part  of  Presbyterian  churches,  have  in  them  so 
large  a  number  of  Congregationalists,  as  to  give  to  the 
Presbyteries  a  Congregational  character ;  would  a  Synod 
composed  of  such  Presbyteries  be  a  regular  Synod  accord- 
ing to  our  Constitution  ?  Must  it  not,  on  the  contrary,  be 
styled,  speaking  in  strict  propriety,  a  Congregational 
Synod,  however  agreeable  to  the  Constitution  may  have 
been  the  mere  form  of  its  erection  ?  On  the  same  principle, 
though  churches  alone,  in  the  first  instance,  could  be  or- 
ganized on  the  plan  of  union,  yet  as  churches  in  connection 
with  their  pastors  compose  Presbyteries,  and  Presbyteries 
compose  Synods ;  if  such  a  number  of  the  churches  are 
formed  on  this  plan,  as  to  control  the  action  and  policy  of 
the  Presbyteries  and  Synods,  the  latter,  for  aught  we  can 
perceive  to  the  contrary,  must  also  be  regarded  as  organ- 
ized on  the  plan  of  union. 

Again,  it  is  objected  that  this  mode  of  applying  the  act 
operates  unjustly ;  as  many  of  the  churches  in  those 
Synods  are  strictly  Presbyterian.     If  tliis  objection  be  valid, 


44 

it  would  effectually  close  the  door  against  any  action  what- 
ever ;  except  by  dissolving  the  churches  formed  on  the  plan 
of  union,  and  directing  them  to  organize  anew — at  least,  all 
such  churches  as  are  partly  composed  of  Presbyterian 
members.  There  would  be  the  same  reason  to  complain 
of  the  injustice  of  an  act,  which  disowns  a  Presbyterian 
member  as  of  one  that  disowns  a  church.  It  is  true  that 
the  mode  of  remedying  an  evil  by  acting  upon  communities, 
often  if  not  always  subjects  individuals  among  them  to  tem- 
porary inconvenience,  who.  if  they  were  not  thus  connected, 
could  not  justly  be  brought  into  such  circumstances.  But, 
if  the  measure  is  necessary  for  the  public  good,  and  provi- 
sion is  made  by  which  (if  they  avail  themselves  of  it)  they 
will  not  in  the  end  be  aifected  injuriously,  they  ought  not  to 
complain — especially  if  the  evil  to  be  remedied  could  not 
be  easily  reached  in  any  other  way. 

In  order  to  ascertain  v/hcther  those  acts  are  just,  it  is  im- 
portant to  understand  their  true  nature.  Were  they  acts  of 
excommunication,  as  many  affirm  ?  or  did  they  leave  the  dis- 
owned Synods  in  this  respect,  just  as  they  stood  before  ?  If 
any  farther  proof  be  deemed  necessary  beyond  the  declara- 
tion of  the  Assembly,  this  question  may  be  easily  answered 
by  a  reference  to  facts.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  Albany 
which  took  place  a  few  days  ago,  among  other  ministers  were 
present  from  abroad,  there  were  three  from  Western  New 
York ;  one  of  them  from  the  Synod  of  Utica,  another  from  the 
Synod  of  Geneva,  and  a  third  from  the  Synod  of  Genesee — 
and  they  were  all  invited  to  sit  as  corresponding  members — 
in  which  invitation  the  old  school  members  of  the  Synod  un- 
animously concurred.  Would  they  have  done  it  if  they  had 
regarded  those  Synods  as  excommunicated  ?  Certainly  not. 
This  fact  is  of  itself  a  sufficient  answer  to  the  charge,  and 
ought  to  rebuke  those  who  may  attempt  to  excite  popular 
indignation  against  the  Assembly  on  the  ground  that  those 
Synods  have  been  "  exscinded,"  "  cut  off,"  "  expelled,"  with- 
out citation  or  trial.  They  have  the  same  christian  stand- 
ing as  ecclesiastical  bodies  which  they  had  twelve  months 
ago.  All  that  the  Assembly  has  done  is  simply  to  dissolve 
the  connection  which  has  hitherto  subsisted  between  them, 


45 

and  tell  them  that  hereafter  tltey  must  act  by  themselves. 
Though  many  individuals  in  those  Sjmods  accord  with  the 
views  and  policy  which  have  long  distinguished  the  Presby- 
terian church,  yet,  considered  as  a  whole,  they  have  depart- 
ed from  those  opinions  and  usages  ;  and  they  have  become 
so  numerous  that,  instead  of  being  under  the  control  of  the 
Assembly  as  it  was  formerly  constituted,  they  have  assumed 
the  control  themselves,  and  are  rapidly  changing  the  char- 
acter of  the  church.  Under  these  circumstances,  the  x\s- 
sembly  have  said  to  them  :  we  will  not  disturb  your  eccle- 
siastical relations,  as  they  exist  among  yourselves — but  we 
cannot  consent  to  have  the  Presbyterian  church  revolution- 
ized and  remoddled  through  your  instrumentality ;  especial- 
ly, as  you  came  into  it  at  first  only  by  courtesy  and  com- 
promise— and  we,  therefore,  regard  it  as  right  and  proper 
to  inform  you  that,  from  this  time  forward,  you  shall  not  be 
represented  in  our  body.  Is  not  this  a  fair  statement  of 
what  the  Assembly  have  done  ?  If  so,  (and  we  believe  it 
cannot  be  successfully  controverted,)  we  cannot  perceive  any 
substantial  reason  for  the  charge  of  injustice — especially  as 
the  individuals  and  churches  who  (as  is  alleged)  ought  to 
have  been  excepted,  were  brought  under  no  censure,  and  the 
door  was  left  open  for  them  to  form  a  reunion  with  the  As- 
sembly, if  they  should  think  this  more  for  their  edification, 
and  for  the  glory  of  God  than  to  remain  connected  with 
those  Synods. 

Suppose  then  the  Assembly  to  have  taken  a  correct 
course  in  applying  the  abrogation  of  the  plan  of  union  to 
Synods  taken  as  a  body  ;  the  only  question  which  remains 
to  be  settled  is,whetherthese  four  Synods  have  any  such  con- 
nection with  the  plan  of  union,  as  to  be  affected  by  its  abroga- 
tion ?  The  statistics  which  we  have  collected  concerning 
them  are  intended  to  have  a  bearing  principally  upon  two 
points — first,  to  show  what  they  were  when  they  were  or- 
ganized— and  secondly,  what  they  are  now.  In  regard  to 
the  Synod  of  the  Western  Reserve,  there  is  no  occasion  for 
a  single  remark.  A  simple  inspection  of  their  history  is 
sufficient  to  show  that  they  were  constituted  with  reference 
to  the  plan,  and  have  continued  so  to  the  present  time.     It 


46 

was  a  Congregational  body  then,  and  it  is  substantially  so 
now. 

One  of  the  Presbyteries  belonging  to  the  Synod  of  Utica, 
viz.  the  Presbytery  of  Oneida,  did  not  grow  out  of  this  plan 
— but  in  a  few  years  after  it  was  organized,  it  received  so 
large  an  accession  of  Congregational  churches,  as  nearly  to 
lose  its  Presbyterian  character — and  from  that  time  to  this, 
it  has  had  a  sufficient  number  to  exert  a  strong  influence  in 
the  Presbytery  adverse  to  strict  Presbyterial  order.  All 
the  other  Presbyteries  were  the  legitimate  offspring  of  the 
plan  of  union — and  they  bear  a  close  resemblance  to  their 
parent  at  the  present  time.  Besides  their  large  numerical 
proportion  in  favour  of  Congregationalism,  there  is  a  strong 
predilection  among  very  many  for  that  mode  of  government, 
including  so)ne  of  their  ministers.  To  the  facts  already 
stated  on  this  subject  may  be  added  the  following  :  Seve- 
ral years  ago,  a  clerical  brother  who  had  resided  ten  or 
twelve  months  in  the  bounds  of  one  of  the  Presbyteries  be- 
longing to  this  Synod,  informed  me,  (and  it  has  been  re- 
cently confirmed  by  another  brother,)  that  a  number  of 
ministers  in  that  Presbytery*  belonged  to  a  Congregational 
Association,  and  were  acting  members  both  of  the  Presby- 
tery and  Association  at  the  same  time — that  in  one  case  a 
candidate  who  was  refused  license  by  the  Presbytery,  ap- 
plied immediately  afterwards  to  a  part  of  the  same  men  ; 
who,  laying  aside  their  Presbyterial  character,  and  acting 
in  the  capacity  of  Congregational  ministers,  made  out  and 
subscribed  his  licensure. 

The  Synod  of  Geneva  not  only  grew  out  of  the  plan  of 
union,  but  when  it  was  first  organized,  it  had  not  the  ma- 
terials to  form  a  Constitutional  Synod.  Two  of  the  Pres- 
byteries out  of  three  of  which  it  was  composed,  were  the 
twin  daughters  of  the  Middle  Association,  and  so  far  as  ap- 
pears from  any  documents  to  which  I  have  access,  they 
were  substantially  Congregational,  though  they  had  received 
the  name  of  Presbyteries.  Probably  the  Association  was 
divided,  and  those  two  Presbyteries  formed  out  of  it,  for 

*  The  Presbytery  referred  to  was  Watertown. 


47 

the  purpose  of  enabling  them  to  organize  a  Synod  ;  as  the 
Synod  was  constituted  very  soon  after.  But  since  that 
time,  accessions  have  been  made,  and  changes  have  occur- 
red, to  alter  considerably  its  original  character.  The  Pres- 
bytery of  Geneva  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  been  formed 
in  pursuance  of  the  plan  of  union — and  perhaps  the  same 
remark  may  be  made  concerning  the  Presbyteries  of  Bath 
and  Chemung ;  though  the  latter  have  materials  in  them 
that  were  originally  Congregational,  and  one  of  them  is 
composed  in  part  of  such  churches  at  the  present  time. 
We  may  be  mistaken  in  regard  to  the  original  character  of 
these  two  Presbyteries ;  but  so  far  as  we  have  learned,  if  these, 
in  connection  with  the  Presbytery  of  Geneva,  had  been  the 
constituent  parts  of  the  Synod,  no  great  objection  could 
have  been  made  to  it.  At  least,  if  the  Synod  had  been  or- 
ganized in  1836  (which  is  the  date  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Chemung,)  those  three  Presbyteries  were,  at  that  time,  suf- 
ficiently Presbyterian  to  constitute  a  regular  Synod.  All 
the  other  Presbyteries,  making  two-thirds  of  the  whole 
number,  were  formed  in  close  connection  with  the  plan  of 
union ;  and  they  are  still,  to  a  great  extent.  Congregational 
bodies.  How  far  this  circumstance  ought  to  be  regarded 
as  affecting  the  constititutionality  of  the  Synod  as  at  present 
organized,  especially  when  taken  in  connection  with  the  fact 
first  alluded  to,  viz.  that  it  owed  its  existence  to  the  plan  of 
union,  and  had,  at  that  time,  only  one  regular  Presbytery, 
we  leave  it  for  the  reader  to  judge. 

Most  of  the  churches  belonging  to  the  Synod  of  Genesee 
were  undoubtedly  formed  in  pursuance  of  the  plan  of  union, 
and  in  their  original  organization  they  were  generally  Con- 
gregational. At  the  present  time,  though  only  one-third  of 
them  are  nominally  of  this  description,  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  the  remainder  are  Presbyterian  only  in  name,  and  if 
not  prevented  by  counter  influences,  would  probably  change 
their  order.  Possibly  three  Presbyteries  might  be  selected 
who  are  sufficiently  Presbyterian  in  their  character  and 
feelings,  to  constitute  a  regular  Synod;  but,  taken  as  a 
whole,  we  are  inclined  to  the  opinion  that,  rather  than  give 


4S 

up  the  plan  of  union,  the}'  would  secede  from  the  Presbyte- 
rian church,  and  either  perpetuate  a  kind  of  mixed  Pre^by- 
terianism,  or  become  Congregational  altogether. 

In  conclusion,  we  have  only  to  observe,  that  unless  those 
brethren  who  are  disposed  to  object  to  the  proceedings  of 
the  last  Assembly  can  show  us  "  a  more  excellent  way"  for 
reforming  the  church  than  that  which  has  been  adopted,  we 
are  bound  to  sustain  the  Assembb:  in  what  they  have  done  ; 
and  let  those  individuals  and  Presbyteries  (if  there  be  any 
such)  who  desire  to  be  excepted,  take  the  necessary  steps 
for  this  purpose  ;  while  those  who  prefer  to  remain  as  they 
are  can  operate  by  theuot-W;  .  It  gives  me  pleasure  to 
know,  that  there  is  so  large  a  nvnnber  in  those  Synods  who 
are  advocates  for  truth  and  good  order ;  and  it  may,  per- 
haps, be  more  for  the  advancement  of  Christ's  kingdom,  for 
them  to  remain  where  they  are  (if  they  feel  inclined  to  such 
a  course)  than  to  break  off  from  their  present  connection. 
The  acts  of  the  last  General  Assembly  have  given  an  im- 
pulse in  favor  of  truth,  which  has  extended  to  every  part  of 
the  church  ;  not  excepting  those  portions  of  it  which  have 
been  disowned.  The  present  is  therefore  a  favorable  op- 
portunity for  tliose  brethren  of  this  character,  whom  the 
providence  of  God  has  placed  in  those  Synods,  to  exert 
themselves  for  the  suppression  and  correction  of  error  and 
irregularities.  With  the  Divine  blessing  on  their  efforts, 
they  have  more  ground  to  hope  for  success  than  at  any  for- 
mer period  for  ten  years  past.  In  this  view  of  the  subject, 
if  in  no  other,  they  may  acquiesce  with  cheerfulness  in  the 
proceedings  of  the  Assembly  ;  and  hereafter,  when  we  trust 
they  will  see,  as  the  final  result  of  those  measures,  that  in- 
teresting part  of  the  Saviour's  heritage  restored  to  the  pu- 
rity and  loveliness  of  primitive  Christianity,  they  will  not 
only  approve,  but  revert  to  them  with  devout  gratitude  to 
God. 


